Leishmanicidal Activity and Structure-Activity Relationships of Essential Oil Constituents.

Several constituents of essential oils have been shown to be active against pathogens such as bacteria, fungi, and protozoa. This study demonstrated the in vitro action of ten compounds present in essential oils against Leishmania amazonensis promastigotes. With the exception of p-cymene, all evaluated compounds presented leishmanicidal activity, exhibiting IC50 between 25.4 and 568.1 µg mL-1. Compounds with the best leishmanicidal activity presented a phenolic moiety (IC50 between 25.4 and 82.9 µg mL-1). Alicyclic alcohols ((-)-menthol and isoborneol) and ketones ((-)-carvone) promoted similar activity against the parasite (IC50 between 190.2 and 198.9 µg mL-1). Most of the compounds showed low cytotoxicity in L929 fibroblasts. Analysis of the structure-activity relationship of these compounds showed the importance of the phenolic structure for the biological action against the promastigote forms of the parasite.

(-)-Carvone: antispasmodic effect and mode of action.

(-)-Carvone is a monoterpene ketone found in spearmint (Mentha spicata var. crispa) essential oil that is widely used as an odor and flavor additive. An intestinal antispasmodic effect was recently reported for (-)-carvone, and it has been shown to be more potent than its (+)-antipode. The mechanism of (-)-carvone action in the intestines has not been investigated. To gain a better understanding of the (-)-carvone antispasmodic effect, we investigated its pharmacological effects in the guinea pig ileum. Terminal portions of the ileum were mounted for isotonic contraction recordings. The effect of (-)-carvone was compared with that of the classical calcium channel blocker (CCB) verapamil. In isolated ileal smooth muscle, (-)-carvone did not produce direct contractile or relaxation responses and did not modify electrically elicited contractions or low K(+)-evoked contractions. The submaximal contractions induced by histamine (p<0.001), BaCl2 (p<0.05), and carbachol (p<0.01) were significantly reduced by (-)-carvone. The contractile response elicited by high concentrations of carbachol was reduced but not abolished by (-)-carvone. No additive action was detected with co-incubation of (-)-carvone and verapamil on carbachol-induced contraction. (-)-Carvone reduced the contraction induced by high K(+) and was almost 100 times more potent than verapamil. Thus, (-)-carvone showed a typical and potent CCB-like action. Many effects described for both (-)-carvone and spearmint oil can be explained as a CCB-like mode of action.

Cardiovascular effects of monoterpenes: a review

The monoterpenes are secondary metabolites of plants. They have various pharmacological properties including antifungal, antibacterial, antioxidant, anticancer, anti-spasmodic, hypotensive, and vasorelaxant. The purpose of this research was to review the cardiovascular effects of monoterpenes. The data in this resarch were collected using the Internet portals Pubmed, Scopus, and ISI Web of Knowledge between the years 1987 and 2010. In the study 33 monoterpenes were included, which were related to each of the thirteen individual words: artery, cardiovascular, heart, myocyte, vasorelaxant, vessel, hypotension, hypotensive, cardiomyocyte, ventricular, vasodilatory, aorta, and aortic. The research utilized 22 articles published mainly in the journals Phytomedicine, Fundamental Clinical Pharmacology, Planta Medica, Life Science, European Journal of Pharmacology, and Brazilian Journal of Medical and Biological Research. Of the 33 monoterpenes studied surveyed, sixteen of them had already been studied for their effects on the cardiovascular system: carvacrol, citronellol, p-cymene, eucalyptol (1,8-cineole), linalool, menthol, myrtenal, myrtenol, α-pinene, rotundifolone (piperitenone oxide), sobrerol, thymol, α-limonene, α-terpinen-4-ol, α-terpineol, and perillyl alcohol. The main effects observed were vasorelaxation, decreased heart rate and blood pressure. This review showed that the monoterpenes may be considered promising agents for prevention or treatment of diseases of the cardiovascular system.