Lemongrass essential oil and its major constituent citral isomers modulate adipogenic gene expression in 3T3-L1 cells

Nutritional Aspects, Chemistry Profile, Extraction Techniques of Lemongrass Essential Oil and It's Physiological Benefits

Lemongrass contains a variety of substances that are known to have antioxidant and disease-preventing properties, including essential oils, compounds, minerals, and vitamins. Lemongrass (Cymbopogon Spp.) essential oil (LGEO) has been demonstrated to ameliorate diabetes and accelerate wound healing. A member of the Poaceae family, Lemongrass, a fragrant plant, is cultivated for the extraction of essential oils including myrcene and a mixture of geranial and neral isomers of citral monoterpenes. Active constituents in lemongrass essential oil are myrcene, followed by limonene and citral along with geraniol, citronellol, geranyl acetate, neral, and nerol, which are beneficial to human health. A large part of lemongrass' expansion is driven by the plant's huge industrial potential in the food, cosmetics, and medicinal sectors. A great deal of experimental and modeling study was conducted on the extraction of essential oils. Using Google Scholar and PubMed databases, a systematic review of the literature covering the period from 1996 to 2022 was conducted, in accordance with the PRISMA declaration. There were articles on chemistry, biosynthesis, extraction techniques and worldwide demand of lemongrass oil. We compared the effectiveness of several methods of extracting lemongrass essential oil, including solvent extraction, supercritical CO2 extraction, steam distillation, hydrodistillation (HD), and microwave aided hydrodistillation (MAHD). Moreover, essential oils found in lemongrass and its bioactivities have a significant impact on human health. This manuscript demonstrates the different extraction techniques of lemongrass essential oil and its physiological benefits on diabetic wound healing, tissue repair and regeneration, as well as its immense contribution in ameliorating arthritis and joint pain.Key teaching pointsThe international market demand prediction and the pharmacological benefits of the Lemongrass essential oil have been thoroughly reported here.This article points out that different extraction techniques yield different percentages of citral and other secondary metabolites from lemon grass, for example, microwave assisted hydrodistillation and supercritical carbon dioxide extraction process yields more citral.This article highlights the concept and application of lemongrass oil in aromatherapy, joint-pain, and arthritis.Moreover, this manuscript includes a discussion about the effect of lemongrass oil on diabetic wound healing and tissue regeneration - that paves the way for further research.

Essential Oils: Recent Advances on Their Dual Role as Food Preservatives and Nutraceuticals against the Metabolic Syndrome

Essential oils (EO) are compounds synthesized by plants as secondary products and are a complex mixture of volatile molecules. Studies have demonstrated their pharmacological activity in the prevention and treatment of metabolic syndrome (MetS). Moreover, they have been used as antimicrobial and antioxidant food additives. The first part of this review discusses the role of EO as nutraceuticals to prevent metabolic syndrome-related disorders (i.e., obesity, diabetes, and neurodegenerative diseases), showing results from in vitro and in vivo studies. Likewise, the second part describes the bioavailability and mechanisms of action of EO in preventing chronic diseases. The third part presents the application of EO as food additives, pointing out their antimicrobial and antioxidant activity in food formulations. Finally, the last part explains the stability and methods for encapsulating EO. In conclusion, EO dual role as nutraceuticals and food additives makes them excellent candidates to formulate dietary supplements and functional foods. However, further investigation is needed to understand EO interaction mechanisms with human metabolic pathways and to develop novel technological approaches to enhance EO stability in food systems to scale up these processes and, in this way, to overcome current health problems.