title: In vitro pro-oxidant/antioxidant role of carvacrol, thymol and their mixture in the intestinal Caco-2 cell line.
abstract: The food industry needs to provide consumers with fresh and healthy products. In this context, food packaging plays an important role. Thus, certain essential oils are being incorporated into plastic polymers to confer better preservative properties. The oregano essential oil contains carvacrol and thymol, two important polyphenols. Considering their increasing use in active food packaging, the evaluation of their suitability and safety is of great interest. In the present work, a concentration-dependent increase in the antioxidant effects of carvacrol, thymol, and their mixture (10:1) was determined using DPPH and ABTS assays. In addition, the safety of these compounds was tested in vitro. Reactive oxygen species and glutathione levels were measured after exposing cells for 24 and 48 h to different concentrations of carvacrol, thymol and their mixture. The abilities of these compounds to protect against or revert the effects of H2O2 on cells were also studied. The results showed that oxidative stress plays a role in the damage induced by carvacrol and the mixture at high concentrations. However, at lower concentrations, both compounds and their mixture were shown, for the first time, to protect cells against the damage induced by the H2O2.
authors.affiliation: Area of Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Sevilla, Profesor García González 2, 41012 Sevilla, Spain.
authors.forename: María
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Llana-Ruiz-Cabello
authors.affiliation: Area of Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Sevilla, Profesor García González 2, 41012 Sevilla, Spain. Electronic address: dgpraena@us.es.
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gutiérrez-Praena
authors.affiliation: Area of Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Sevilla, Profesor García González 2, 41012 Sevilla, Spain.
authors.forename: María
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Puerto
authors.affiliation: Area of Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Sevilla, Profesor García González 2, 41012 Sevilla, Spain.
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pichardo
authors.affiliation: Area of Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Sevilla, Profesor García González 2, 41012 Sevilla, Spain.
authors.forename: Ángeles
authors.initials: Á
authors.lastname: Jos
authors.affiliation: Area of Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Sevilla, Profesor García González 2, 41012 Sevilla, Spain.
authors.forename: Ana María
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Cameán
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000494:pharmacology*; D052160:Benzothiazoles; D001713:Biphenyl Compounds / Q000737:chemistry; D018938:Caco-2 Cells; D000081007:Cymenes; D004347:Drug Interactions; D018857:Food Packaging; D006801:Humans; D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide / Q000378:metabolism; D039821:Monoterpenes / Q000494:pharmacology*; D016877:Oxidants / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000187:drug effects; D010851:Picrates / Q000737:chemistry; D020011:Protective Agents; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species / Q000737:chemistry; D013451:Sulfonic Acids; D013943:Thymol / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D052160:Benzothiazoles; D001713:Biphenyl Compounds; D000081007:Cymenes; D039821:Monoterpenes; D016877:Oxidants; D010851:Picrates; D020011:Protective Agents; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species; D013451:Sulfonic Acids; C002502:2,2'-azino-di-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline)-6-sulfonic acid; D013943:Thymol; C073316:carvacrol; D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide; C004931:1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl
keywords: Antioxidant; Caco-2; Carvacrol; Oregano; Oxidative stress; Thymol