Anti-Inflammatory Properties and Chemical Characterization of the Essential Oils of Four Citrus Species

Abstract

Citrus fruits have potential health-promoting properties and their essential oils have long been used in several applications. Due to biological effects described to some citrus species in this study our objectives were to analyze and compare the phytochemical composition and evaluate the anti-inflammatory effect of essential oils (EO) obtained from four different Citrus species. Mice were treated with EO obtained from C. limon, C. latifolia, C. aurantifolia or C. limonia (10 to 100 mg/kg, p.o.) and their anti-inflammatory effects were evaluated in chemical induced inflammation (formalin-induced licking response) and carrageenan-induced inflammation in the subcutaneous air pouch model. A possible antinociceptive effect was evaluated in the hot plate model. Phytochemical analyses indicated the presence of geranial, limonene, γ-terpinene and others. EOs from C. limon, C. aurantifolia and C. limonia exhibited anti-inflammatory effects by reducing cell migration, cytokine production and protein extravasation induced by carrageenan. These effects were also obtained with similar amounts of pure limonene. It was also observed that C. aurantifolia induced myelotoxicity in mice. Anti-inflammatory effect of C. limon and C. limonia is probably due to their large quantities of limonene, while the myelotoxicity observed with C. aurantifolia is most likely due to the high concentration of citral. Our results indicate that these EOs from C. limon, C. aurantifolia and C. limonia have a significant anti-inflammatory effect; however, care should be taken with C. aurantifolia.

Acaricidal properties of essential oils from agro‐industrial waste products from citric fruit against Tetranychus urticae

“…The high quantity of monoterpenes followed by sesquiterpenes in the present study, with limonene as the major constituent of the C. reticulate, C. reticulata × C. sinensis , C. aurantiifolia and C. limon oils, is in agreement with data published on samples collected in other locations of Brazil for oranges (Badawy, Taktak, & El‐Aswad, ) and limes/lemons (Amorim et al, ; Gomes et al, ). The abundance of monoterpenes with limonene as the major component of Citrus oils has also been reported for samples from other countries, such as C. aurantiifolia in Vietnam (Dang et al, ), Cameroon (Tchameni et al, ), India (Fagodia, Singh, Batish, & Kohli, ) and Australia (Mirzaei‐Najafgholi, Tarighi, Golmohammadi, & Taheri, ); C. limon in India (Jain & Sharma, ) and Iran (Ghoorchibeigi et al, ); and C. reticulate in Vietnam (Dang et al, ), China (Tao, Jia, & Zhou, ), Pakistan (Zia et al, ), Nigeria (Ayoola et al, ) and Egypt (Hamdan, Mohamed, & El‐Shazly, ).…”

“…However, this monoterpene was the major constituent of the peel oil of the mandarin orange ( C. reticulata ) from elsewhere in Brazil (Badawy et al, ; Martins et al, ) as well as China (Tao et al, ) and Egypt (Mohamed & Abdelgaleil, ). γ‐Terpinene has also been found to be the major component of the peel oil of the key lime ( C. aurantiifolia ) from Italy (Costa et al, ), Egypt (Badawy & Abdelgaleil, ) and Brazil (Amorim et al, ) as well as the lemon ( C. limon ) from India (Jain & Sharma, ; Semwal, Semwal, Mishra, & Semwal, ), Iran (Ghoorchibeigi et al, ), Brazil (Amorim et al, ) and Algeria (Djenane, ). In contrast, the GC/MS analysis of the peel EOs from the lime ( C. aurantiifolia ) and lemon ( C. limon ) grown in the state of Pernambuco, Brazil, suggests the limonene/ β ‐pinene chemotype for both fruits, which is in agreement with the chemotype found for the peel oil of the key lime ( C. aurantiifolia ) from Vietnam (Dang et al, ) and Malaysia (Effiom, Avoaja, & Ohaeri, ).…”

“…In the present investigation, the yields of the mandarin/tangerine peel EOs were higher than those reported in some studies and lower than those reported in other studies in the literature. Othman limes/lemons (Amorim et al, 2016;Gomes et al, 2014). The abundance of monoterpenes with limonene as the major component of Citrus oils has also been reported for samples from other countries, such as C. aurantiifolia in Vietnam (Dang et al, 2016), Cameroon (Tchameni et al, 2018), India (Fagodia, Singh, Batish, & Kohli, 2017) and Australia (Mirzaei-Najafgholi, Tarighi, Golmohammadi, & Taheri, 2017); C. limon in India (Jain & Sharma, 2017) and Iran (Ghoorchibeigi et al, 2017); and C. reticulate in Vietnam (Dang et al, 2016), China (Tao, Jia, & Zhou, 2014), Pakistan (Zia et al, 2013), Nigeria (Ayoola et al, 2008) and Egypt (Hamdan, Mohamed, & El-Shazly, 2016).…”

Terpenes from Forests and Human Health

“…It also reduced carrageenan-induced inflammation by reducing cell migration, cytokine production, and protein extravasation (27). Similar to α-pinene, d-limonene exerted an anti-osteoarthritic effect by inhibiting IL-1β-induced NO production in human chondrocytes (28).…”

Synthesis and Structure Activity Relationship of Some Indole Derivatives as Potential Anti-inflammatory Agents

“…[14][15][16] Due to their pharmaceutical importance, [17][18][19][20][21][22] attention was paid to develop a new synthetic route for pyrroles and their fused forms. [23][24][25][26][27][28] Pyrrolylacetic acid derivatives such as tolmetin (Rumatol ® ) and zomepirac (Zomax ® ) were proved to be NSAIDs 6 with strong anti-inflammatory activity. 29,30 Other pyrrole and fused pyrrole compounds have been recently reported as potent COX-1 and COX-2 inhibitors: 31,32 4-benzodioxine or pyrrole nucleus are described.…”