Effects of Carvacrol, Thymol and essential oils containing such monoterpenes on wound healing: a systematic review

Abstract

Objectives The treatment of wounds accounts for a considerable fraction of health expenses as well as serious socioeconomic problems. The use of natural substances stands out as a source of new therapeutic discoveries for the wound healing. Thus, this review compiled scientific findings on the applicability of carvacrol and thymol, or essential oils containing at least one of these compounds, for the treatment of wounds. Methods This review was performed at PubMed, SCOPUS, Web of Science databases using keywords as wound healing, thymol/carvacrol and essential oils. Thirteen studies were selected for discussion. Key findings Thymol/carvacrol was able to act in the three phases of wound healing. In the first phase, they showed modulatory effect of the inflammatory cytokines, oxidative stress and antimicrobial power. In the second phase, they promoted re‐epithelialization, angiogenesis and development of granulation tissue. Finally, in the third phase, they improve the collagen deposition and modulated the growth of fibroblasts and keratinocytes. Conclusions These compounds present a high potential for the development of new therapeutic for wound repair. However, dose, efficacy and safety of these compounds for the treatment of wounds, as well as the mechanisms by which those effects can be observed, are challenges for future studies.

The Effect of Ten Essential Oils on Several Cutaneous Drug-Resistant Microorganisms and Their Cyto/Genotoxic and Antioxidant Properties

“…Our results have also shown that tested Gram-negative bacteria (K. pneumoniae, P. aeruginosa, P. vulgaris, C. koseri) are sensitive to OR, TY, CA, CL, AR, and ME. Thymol, eugenol, and carvacrol have an antimicrobial effect against a broad spectrum of bacteria, namely Escherichia coli, Bacillus cereus, Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella enterica, Clostridium jejuni, Lactobacillus sake, Staphylococcus aureus, and Helicobacter pyroli [15,22,23,26]. García-Salinas et al [46] found that the carvacrol, cinnamaldehyde, and thymol molecules contained in EOs could be used against E. coliand S. aureus-mediated infections, without a potential induction of bactericidal resistance and with lower cell toxicity.…”

“…Skin is the human body's primary barrier to the environment, and the first line of defense against microbial and chemical attacks [22]. Microbial infection is the most dangerous consequence of skin injury [23][24][25].…”

Chemical Compositions and Anti-Skin-Ageing Activities of Origanum vulgare L. Essential Oil from Tropical and Mediterranean Region

“…The results were in good accordance with several previous studies, including the study of Sivropoulou et al [32], which revealed 79.58% of carvacrol in Greek sourced O. vulgare essential oil and the study of Salvo et al [30], which revealed 26.33 ± 3.31% of carvacrol in O. vulgare essential oil from USA. The higher amount of carvacrol in HO (79.5%) compared to the carvacrol in CO (64.6%) and O. vulgare essential oils investigated in previous researches (23.43%-78.73%) should lead to superior biological activities, as carvacrol has been reported to have potent antibacterial, antifungal, antioxidant, free radical scavenging, anticholinesterase, and wound-healing activities [33][34][35][36][37][38].…”

Comparison of the bioactive chemical components and antioxidant activities in three tissues of six varieties of Citrus grandis ‘Tomentosa’ fruits

“…Moreover, thymol has also been reported as a therapy for wound repair. [36] In the samples of exocarp among the six varieties, the compositions of the main volatiles are almost identical. However, the amounts of volatiles in the mesocarp of FM and GQ are slightly larger than those in the ZhengMao series.…”