Abstract
Essential oils and isolated essential oil compounds are known to exert various pharmacological
effects, such as antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, anti-immunomodulatory,
antioxidant, and wound healing effects. Based on selected articles, this review deals
with the potential antiviral and virucidal activities of essential oils and essential
oil compounds together with their mechanism of action as well as in silico studies involving viral and host cell-specific target molecules that are indispensable
for virus cell adsorption, penetration, and replication. The reported in vitro and in vivo studies highlight the baseline data about the latest findings of essential oils and
essential oil compounds antiviral and virucidal effects on enveloped and non-enveloped
viruses, taking into account available biochemical and molecular biological tests.
The results of many in vitro studies revealed that several essential oils and
essential oil compounds from different medicinal and aromatic plants are potent
antiviral and virucidal agents that inhibit viral progeny by blocking different steps
of the viral infection/replication cycle of DNA and RNA viruses in various host cell
lines. Studies in mice infected with viruses causing respiratory diseases showed that
different essential oils and essential oil compounds were able to prolong the life
of infected animals, reduce virus titers in brain and lung tissues, and significantly
inhibit the synthesis of proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines. In addition, some
in vitro studies on hydrophilic nano-delivery systems encapsulating essential oils/essential
oil compounds exhibited a promising way to improve the chemical stability and enhance
the water solubility, bioavailabilty, and antiviral efficacy of essential oils and
essential oil compounds.
Key words
virus - virion - essential oil - essential oil compound - antiviral activity - virucidal
effect