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Planta Med 2019; 85(01): 48-55
DOI: 10.1055/a-0750-6907
Biological and Pharmacological Activity
Reviews
Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York

Pharmacological Properties of Geraniol – A Review

Yu Lei   *
1   School of Pharmacy, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China
,
Peng Fu   *
2   West China School of Pharmacy, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
,
Xie Jun
1   School of Pharmacy, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China
,
Peng Cheng
1   School of Pharmacy, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China
› Author Affiliations
Further Information

Publication History

received 01 August 2018
revised 06 September 2018

accepted 18 September 2018

Publication Date:
11 October 2018 (online)

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Abstract

Geraniol is an acyclic isoprenoid monoterpene isolated from the essential oils of aromatic plants including Cinnamomum tenuipilum, Valeriana officinalis, and several other plants. The limited source of geraniol from plant isolation cannot fulfill the great demand from the flavor and fragrance industries, which require maximizing geraniol production through biotechnology processes. The diverse activities of geraniol suggested that geraniol could treat various diseases as a promising drug candidate. In order to evaluate the potential of geraniol applied in a clinical trial, this review aims at providing a comprehensive summary of the pharmacological effects of geraniol. The publications retrieved from PubMed, ScienceDirect, Springer, and Wiley databases were collected and summarized for the last 6 years. Then, the potential application of geraniol as a drug is discussed based on its pharmacological properties, including antitumor, anti-inflammatory, antioxidative, and antimicrobial activities, and hepatoprotective, cardioprotective, and neuroprotective effects. Hence, this review aims at providing evidence of the pharmacological activities of geraniol in the context of further development as a drug candidate in clinical application.

Key words

geraniol - essential oil - pharmacology - monoterpene

* These two authors contributed equally to this work.


 

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