Open AccessEffects of Carvacrol, Thymol and essential oils containing such monoterpenes on wound healing: a systematic review
Author(s) -
Costa Michelle Fonseca,
Durço Aimée Obolari,
Rabelo Thallita Kelly,
Barreto Rosana de Souza Siqueira,
Guimarães Adriana Gibara
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
journal of pharmacy and pharmacology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.745
H-Index - 118
eISSN - 2042-7158
pISSN - 0022-3573
DOI - 10.1111/jphp.13054
Subject(s) - carvacrol , thymol , wound healing , antimicrobial , essential oil , granulation tissue , angiogenesis , medicine , pharmacology , traditional medicine , chemistry , microbiology and biotechnology , surgery , biology , food science
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.