Important Bioactive From Plants!
Citral is an acyclic monoterpene aldehyde, pale-yellow in color with a strong lemony odor. Citral occurs in essential oils of various plants, including Lemon Myrtle, Lemongrass, Lemon Verbena, Lime, Lemon Balm, Orange, Litsea cubeba, and Lemon Tea Tree. It is used commonly in perfumery and for scenting products, but also confers health benefits.
Among its possible health benefits:
· Antioxidant
· Antimicrobial
· Antifungal
· Antiplanktonic
· Antiinflammatory
· Digestive Health
· Microbiome Health
· Pain Relief
· Anti-Cancer
· Anticonvulsant
· Immunoresponsive
· Mood-enhancing
Interestingly, there has been much interest in the use of citral, or citral-containing plants for use as antimicrobial therapies, especially having to do with microbiome dysbiosis.
In one recent preclinical study, Ginger essential oil and citral were found to inhibit the formation of aortic atherosclerotic lesions, improve plasma lipid profile, reduce blood sugar, improve insulin resistance, decrease plasma trimethylamine-N-oxide (formed during L-carnitine metabolism in the formation of plaques) and inhibit plasma inflammatory cytokines. In addition, treatment improved the gut microbiome through increasing diversity and beneficial microbes and decreasing cardiovascular disease- related microbes.
A study on the potential use of Citral in antifungal therapy against Candida auris found Citral to have similar effects alone to antifungal drugs in monotherapy (anidulafungin, amphotericin B and fluconazole). Additionally, when combined with anidulafungin, it was found to have synergistic and additive interactions, which may be helpful in clinical development considering the thigh resistance levels to current antifungals.
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*This content is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not intended to provide medical advice or to take the place of such advice or treatment from a personal physician.