Abstract
Plant volatile organic compounds (volatiles) are secondary plant metabolites that
play crucial roles in the reproduction, defence, and interactions with other vegetation.
They have been shown to exhibit a broad range of biological properties and have been
investigated for antimicrobial and anticancer activities. In addition, they are thought
be more environmentally friendly than many other synthetic chemicals [1]. Despite these facts, their applications in the medical, food, and agricultural
fields are considerably restricted due to their volatilities, instabilities, and aqueous
insolubilities. Nanoparticle encapsulation of plant volatile organic compounds is
regarded as one of the best strategies that could lead to the enhancement of the bioavailability
and biological activity of the volatile compounds by overcoming their physical limitations
and promoting their controlled release and cellular absorption. In this review, we
will discuss the
biosynthesis and analysis of plant volatile organic compounds, their biological
activities, and limitations. Furthermore, different types of nanoparticle platforms
used to encapsulate the volatiles and the biological efficacies of nanoencapsulated
volatile organic compounds will be covered.
Key words
plant volatile organic compounds - essential oil - nanoencapsulation - nanoparticle
- antimicrobial activity - anticancer activity