Abstract：
Carvacrol (CV) is a phenolic monoterpenoid found in essential oils of oregano (Origanum vulgare), thyme (Thymus vulgaris), pepperwort (Lepidium flavum), wild bergamot (Citrus aurantium bergamia), and other plants. Carvacrol possesses a wide range of bioactivities putatively useful for clinical applications such antimicrobial, antioxidant, and anticancer activities. Carvacrol antimicrobial activity is higher than that of other volatile compounds present in essential oils due to the presence of the free hydroxyl group, hydrophobicity, and the phenol moiety. The present review illustrates the state-of-the-art studies on the antimicrobial, antioxidant, and anticancer properties of CV. It is particularly effective against food-borne pathogens, including Escherichia coli, Salmonella, and Bacillus cereus. Carvacrol has high antioxidant activity and has been successfully used, mainly associated with thymol, as dietary phytoadditive to improve animal antioxidant status. The anticancer properties of CV have been reported in preclinical models of breast, liver, and lung carcinomas, acting on proapoptotic processes. Besides the interesting properties of CV and the toxicological profile becoming definite, to date, human trials on CV are still lacking, and this largely impedes any conclusions of clinical relevance.
摘要：
香芹酚（CV）是一种在牛至（Ohangumvulgare）精油中发现的酚类单萜，百里香，胡椒粉（黄表皮），野生佛手（柑橘），和其他植物。香芹酚具有广泛的生物活性，可用于临床应用，例如抗菌药物，抗氧化剂，和抗癌活动。由于游离羟基的存在，香芹酚的抗微生物活性高于精油中存在的其他挥发性化合物，疏水性,和苯酚部分。本综述说明了对抗菌药物的最新研究，抗氧化剂，和CV的抗癌特性。它对食源性病原体特别有效，包括大肠杆菌,沙门氏菌,和蜡状芽孢杆菌.香芹酚具有很高的抗氧化活性，已被成功使用，主要与百里酚有关，作为膳食植物添加剂，以提高动物的抗氧化状态。在乳腺的临床前模型中已经报道了CV的抗癌特性，肝脏,和肺癌，作用于促凋亡过程。除了CV的有趣特性和毒理学特征变得明确之外，到目前为止,在CV上的人体试验仍然缺乏，这在很大程度上阻碍了任何与临床相关的结论。
