13.1 Introduction
Essential oils were applied in traditional remedies. It relates to essential oils as
ethereal/volatile oils having an aromatic oily texture, collected from the various
sections of herbs and then used as food flavors. The convenient form of separating essential oils is the inexpensive and easy-to-use hydro-distillation
methodology. Terpenes, terpenoids, aromatic, and aliphatic analogs are the vital
components of the essential oils (Marinelli et al. 2018). Carvacrol [2-methyl-5(1-methyl ethyl)-phenol] mainly comes from many essential oils of the family
Labiatae/Lamiaceae (Kirimer et al. 1995). It is a phenolic moiety containing
monoterpenoid having a molecular formula C 10 H 14 O. It is also found in the
essential oils of oregano (Origanum vulgare, Origanum ehrenbergii, Origanum
syriacum), sage apple (Salvia fruticosa), Calamintha origanifolia, thyme (Thymus
vulgaris), Lepidium flavum, Citrus aurantium, and many more. Friedel-Crafts
alkylation reaction was employed to generate carvacrol using o-cresol and isopropanol as reactants and utilizing mesoporous superacidic UDCaT‐5 as catalyst
(Yadav and Kamble 2009). Carvacrol is used primarily in food products for its
flavoring and preservatives nature, and likewise had a significant application in
the pharmaceutical industry (Can Baser 2008). Carvacrol’s anticancer activity has
gained recognition in recent times (Almanaitytė et al. 2020). It possesses other
pharmacological actions such as antioxidant (Han et al. 2017), antimicrobial
(Liolios et al. 2009), antibacterial (Menniti et al. 2010), anti-inflammatory (Landa
et al. 2009), antiviral activities (Pilau et al. 2011), and hepatoprotective properties
(Aristatile et al. 2009). The European Commission (2012) and the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA 2017) have classified carvacrol as a safe substance from a
toxicological perspective and its application is highly attractive as an additive in
foods.
There are only a few previous reports that present an in-depth overview of this
important field of research. Many of the preceding publications focus exclusively
on the compilation of the various pharmacological activities of the secondary
metabolite carvacrol for study on natural products (Mohammad et al. 2017;
Sharifi-Rad et al. 2018; Bayir et al. 2019). This review looks at the pharmacology of
carvacrol, and its analogs concerning their significant potential anticancer and
antimicrobial functionality to become a clinical drug. The data procured covers
published preclinical study, research papers, and review of molecule carvacrol
isolated from a diverse group of plants. This study would investigate the antimicrobial and anticancer function of the metabolite carvacrol and the derivatives
synthesized from carvacrol, emphasizing their chemical structure and discovering
the action processes that underlie it, for the discovery of potent metabolites of
therapeutic potential.
438
A. Mondal et al.
Essential oils were applied in traditional remedies. It relates to essential oils as
ethereal/volatile oils having an aromatic oily texture, collected from the various
sections of herbs and then used as food flavors. The convenient form of separating essential oils is the inexpensive and easy-to-use hydro-distillation
methodology. Terpenes, terpenoids, aromatic, and aliphatic analogs are the vital
components of the essential oils (Marinelli et al. 2018). Carvacrol [2-methyl-5(1-methyl ethyl)-phenol] mainly comes from many essential oils of the family
Labiatae/Lamiaceae (Kirimer et al. 1995). It is a phenolic moiety containing
monoterpenoid having a molecular formula C 10 H 14 O. It is also found in the
essential oils of oregano (Origanum vulgare, Origanum ehrenbergii, Origanum
syriacum), sage apple (Salvia fruticosa), Calamintha origanifolia, thyme (Thymus
vulgaris), Lepidium flavum, Citrus aurantium, and many more. Friedel-Crafts
alkylation reaction was employed to generate carvacrol using o-cresol and isopropanol as reactants and utilizing mesoporous superacidic UDCaT‐5 as catalyst
(Yadav and Kamble 2009). Carvacrol is used primarily in food products for its
flavoring and preservatives nature, and likewise had a significant application in
the pharmaceutical industry (Can Baser 2008). Carvacrol’s anticancer activity has
gained recognition in recent times (Almanaitytė et al. 2020). It possesses other
pharmacological actions such as antioxidant (Han et al. 2017), antimicrobial
(Liolios et al. 2009), antibacterial (Menniti et al. 2010), anti-inflammatory (Landa
et al. 2009), antiviral activities (Pilau et al. 2011), and hepatoprotective properties
(Aristatile et al. 2009). The European Commission (2012) and the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA 2017) have classified carvacrol as a safe substance from a
toxicological perspective and its application is highly attractive as an additive in
foods.
There are only a few previous reports that present an in-depth overview of this
important field of research. Many of the preceding publications focus exclusively
on the compilation of the various pharmacological activities of the secondary
metabolite carvacrol for study on natural products (Mohammad et al. 2017;
Sharifi-Rad et al. 2018; Bayir et al. 2019). This review looks at the pharmacology of
carvacrol, and its analogs concerning their significant potential anticancer and
antimicrobial functionality to become a clinical drug. The data procured covers
published preclinical study, research papers, and review of molecule carvacrol
isolated from a diverse group of plants. This study would investigate the antimicrobial and anticancer function of the metabolite carvacrol and the derivatives
synthesized from carvacrol, emphasizing their chemical structure and discovering
the action processes that underlie it, for the discovery of potent metabolites of
therapeutic potential.
438
A. Mondal et al.