Exploitation of cytotoxicity of some essential oils for translation in cancer therapy.
Essential oils are complex mixtures of several components endowed with a wide range of biological activities, including antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, spasmolytic, sedative, analgesic, and anesthetic properties. A growing body of scientific reports has recently focused on the potential of essential oils as anticancer treatment in the attempt to overcome the development of multidrug resistance and important side effects associated with the antitumor drugs currently used. In this review we discuss the literature on the effects of essential oils in  in vitro and in vivo models of cancer, focusing on the studies performed with the whole phytocomplex rather than single constituents.
Department of Pharmacy, Health and Nutritional Sciences, Section of Preclinical and Translational Pharmacology, UCADH, University of Calabria, 87036 Rende, Cosenza, Italy.
Rossella
R
Russo
Department of Health Sciences, University "Magna Graecia" of Catanzaro, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy.
Maria Tiziana
MT
Corasaniti
Department of Pharmacy, Health and Nutritional Sciences, Section of Preclinical and Translational Pharmacology, UCADH, University of Calabria, 87036 Rende, Cosenza, Italy ; University Consortium for Adaptive Disorders and Head Pain, UCADH, University of Calabria, 87036 Rende, Cosenza, Italy.
Giacinto
G
Bagetta
Department of Pharmacy, Health and Nutritional Sciences, Section of Preclinical and Translational Pharmacology, UCADH, University of Calabria, 87036 Rende, Cosenza, Italy ; University Consortium for Adaptive Disorders and Head Pain, UCADH, University of Calabria, 87036 Rende, Cosenza, Italy.
Luigi Antonio
LA
Morrone