부산대학교 도서관

Essential oils of many plants are widely used with a bias to have only positive effects on the body. Considering that terpenes are dominant ingredients of many essential oils, the influences of selected terpenes (geraniol, nerol, linalool, carvacrol) on the activities of the most important enzymes in clinical practice (creatine kinase, lactate dehydrogenase, amylase, alkaline phosphatase, gamma-glutamyltransferase, aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase) are examined in this study. The survey was conducted in vitro with solutions of terpenes at concentrations in the range of 1.82-4.63 mmol/l and in commercial control human serum. Activities are measured by the standard clinical biochemical procedures. A decrease in activity of the enzyme to varying degrees was noted and it was ranged from 1/6 to slightly less than half of the enzyme activity, depending on the type of terpenes, the concentration of their solution, as well as the type of enzyme. The best inhibitor, in the described in vitro conditions, proved to be linalool (lavender), carvacrol (basil, oregano), geraniol (geranium) and the last nerol (orange). The results of this study confirm the initial hypothesis that the terpenes are, undoubtedly, those components of the essential oils that lead to significant inhibition of the clinical enzymes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]