A Systematic Review of the Anti-Inflammatory and Immunomodulatory Properties of 16 Essential Oils of Herbs

Table 1

In vitro study of Traditional Chinese medicine essential oils under inflammatory conditions.

Essential oil	Species	Cell types	Inflammation of the species	Tested indicators	Assays biochemical	Molecular	Conclusion	Reference
Maqian fruits essential oil	Rutaceous	THP-1 cell line	LPS-induced	TNF-α, IL-1β, IKK, IκB	ELISA	Western blot	This essential oil inhibits inflammation by lowering levels of inflammatory factors (TNF-α and IL-1β) and preventing phosphorylation of IKK and IκB	[16]
Essential oil from waste leaves of Curcuma longa L.	Zingiberaceae	Human keratinocyte cell line (HaCaT)	LPS and TPA-induced	TNF-α, IL-6, IL-1β	—	RT-PCR	Under the premise of no toxicity, this essential oil can inhibit the level of inflammatory factors (TNF-α, IL-6, IL-1β) and further inhibit the inflammatory response	[17]
Essential oil from Fructus Alpinia zerumbet	Zingiberaceae	Human aortic endothelial cells	LPS-induced	ICAM-1, VCAM-1	-	PCR, western blot	This essential oil prevented LPS-induced HAEC activation and inflammation.	[18]
Essential oil from zanthoxylum coreanum nakai	Rutaceae	RAW264.7 cells	LPS-induced	TNF-α, IL-6,	ELISA	—	This essential oil inhibits inflammation by regulating the NF-κB and MAPKs signalling pathways	[19]
Essential oil from acorus gramineusand and euodia ruticarpa	Acorus and tetradium	Mouse primary splenocytes and peritoneal macrophages	LPS-induced	Th1, IL-2, Th2 IL-5, TNF-α, IL-10	ELISA	—	These two essential oils have the potential to regulate Th1/Th2 balance of spleen cells and suppress macrophage inflammation	[20]
Essential oils from gynura procumbens	Compositae	RAW264.7 cells	LPS-induced	COX-2	ELISA	—	This essential oil can suppress nociceptive inflammation by regulating COX-2 levels	[21]
Essential oil from artemisia argyi	Artemisia	RAW264.7 cells	LPS-induced	NO, PGE2, ROS, TNF-α, IL-6, IFN-β and MCP-1	—	PCR, western blot	This essential oil inhibits inflammation through down-regulation of the JAK/STATs signalling	[22]
Essential oil from atractylodes macrocephala	Compositae	ANA-1 cells.	LPS-induced	NO	—	—	This essential oil reduces NO levels after stimulation and suppresses inflammation	[23]
Essential oil from citrus limetta;	Citrus L.	RAW264.7 cells	LPS-induced	TNF-α, IL-6, IL-1β	ELISA	—	This essential oil can inhibit inflammation by inhibiting the expression of a variety of cytokines	[24]
Essential oil from citrus aurantium L. var. amara	Citrus aurantium L. var. amara engl	RAW264.7 cells	LPS-induced	iNOS, IL-6, TNF-α, IL-1β COX-2.	—	Western blot RT-PCR	This essential oil inhibits inflammation by regulating the NF-κB and MAPKs signalling pathway	[25]