Anticancer Properties of Essential Oils and Other Natural Products

Blowman, K.; Magalhães, M.; Lemos, M.F.L.; Cabral, C.; Pires, I.M.

http://hdl.handle.net/10400.8/4975

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Abstract(s)

Essential oils are secondary metabolites with a key-role in plants protection, consisting primarily of terpenes with a volatile nature and a diverse array of chemical structures. Essential oils exhibit a wide range of bioactivities, especially antimicrobial activity, and have long been utilized for treating various human ailments and diseases. Cancer cell prevention and cytotoxicity are exhibited through a wide range ofmechanisms of action, with more recent research focusing on synergistic and antagonistic activity between specific essential oils major and minor components. Essential oils have been shown to possess cancer cell targeting activity and are able to increase the efficacy of commonly used chemotherapy drugs including paclitaxel and docetaxel, having also shown proimmune functions when administered to the cancer patient. The present review represents a state-of-the-art review of the research behind the application of EOs as anticancer agents both in vitro and in vivo. Cancer cell target specificity and the use of EOs in combination with conventional chemotherapeutic strategies are also explored.

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Tis work was supported through HEFCE funding provided by the University of Hull (I. M. Pires, K. Blowman), by a Fundacao para a Ciencia e Tecnologia Strategic Project UID/MAR/04292/2013 Grant to MARE, the European Union through EASME Blue Labs project AMALIA (EASME/ EMFF/2016/1.2.1.4/03/SI2.750419), and by the Integrated Programme of SR&TD “SmartBioR” (reference Centro-01-0145-FEDER-000018), cofunded by Centro 2020 program, Portugal 2020, European Union, through the European Regional Development Fund.