Therapeutic Potential of Volatile Terpenes and Terpenoids from Forests for Inflammatory Diseases
Department of Biological Sciences, Research Center for Coupled Human and Natural Systems for Ecowelfare, Konkuk University, Seoul 05029, Korea
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Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2020, 21(6), 2187; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms21062187
Received: 31 January 2020 / Revised: 18 March 2020 / Accepted: 19 March 2020 / Published: 22 March 2020
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Terpenes and Essential Oils: Health Risks and Benefits)
Forest trees are a major source of biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs). Terpenes and terpenoids are known as the main BVOCs of forest aerosols. These compounds have been shown to display a broad range of biological activities in various human disease models, thus implying that forest aerosols containing these compounds may be related to beneficial effects of forest bathing. In this review, we surveyed studies analyzing BVOCs and selected the most abundant 23 terpenes and terpenoids emitted in forested areas of the Northern Hemisphere, which were reported to display anti-inflammatory activities. We categorized anti-inflammatory processes related to the functions of these compounds into six groups and summarized their molecular mechanisms of action. Finally, among the major 23 compounds, we examined the therapeutic potentials of 12 compounds known to be effective against respiratory inflammation, atopic dermatitis, arthritis, and neuroinflammation among various inflammatory diseases. In conclusion, the updated studies support the beneficial effects of forest aerosols and propose their potential use as chemopreventive and therapeutic agents for treating various inflammatory diseases.
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Keywords:
BVOC; terpene; terpenoid; forest aerosol; anti-inflammation
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited
MDPI and ACS Style
Kim, T.; Song, B.; Cho, K.S.; Lee, I.-S. Therapeutic Potential of Volatile Terpenes and Terpenoids from Forests for Inflammatory Diseases. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2020, 21, 2187. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms21062187
AMA Style
Kim T, Song B, Cho KS, Lee I-S. Therapeutic Potential of Volatile Terpenes and Terpenoids from Forests for Inflammatory Diseases. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2020; 21(6):2187. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms21062187
Chicago/Turabian StyleKim, Taejoon, Bokyeong Song, Kyoung S. Cho, and Im-Soon Lee. 2020. "Therapeutic Potential of Volatile Terpenes and Terpenoids from Forests for Inflammatory Diseases" International Journal of Molecular Sciences 21, no. 6: 2187. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms21062187
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