Phytol: A review of biomedical activities

Muhammad Torequl Islam, Eunüs S. Ali, Shaikh J. Uddin, Subrata Shaw, Md Amirul Islam, Md Iqbal Ahmed, Manik Chandra Shill, Utpal Kumar Karmakar, Nagendra Sastry Yarla, Ishaq N. Khan, Md Morsaline Billah, Magdalena D. Pieczynska, Gokhan Zengin, Clemens Malainer, Ferdinando Nicoletti, Diana Gulei, Ioana Berindan-Neagoe, Apostol Apostolov, Maciej Banach, Andy W. K. YeungAmr El-Demerdash, Jianbo Xiao, Prasanta Dey, Santosh Yele, Artur Jóźwik, Nina Strzałkowska, Joanna Marchewka, Kannan R. R. Rengasamy, Jarosław Horbańczuk, Mohammad Amjad Kamal, Mohammad S. Mubarak, Siddhartha K. Mishra, Jamil A. Shilpi, Atanas G. Atanasov

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    242 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    Phytol (PYT) is a diterpene member of the long-chain unsaturated acyclic alcohols. PYT and some of its derivatives, including phytanic acid (PA), exert a wide range of biological effects. PYT is a valuable essential oil (EO) used as a fragrance and a potential candidate for a broad range of applications in the pharmaceutical and biotechnological industry. There is ample evidence that PA may play a crucial role in the development of pathophysiological states. Focusing on PYT and some of its most relevant derivatives, here we present a systematic review of reported biological activities, along with their underlying mechanism of action. Recent investigations with PYT demonstrated anxiolytic, metabolism-modulating, cytotoxic, antioxidant, autophagy- and apoptosis-inducing, antinociceptive, anti-inflammatory, immune-modulating, and antimicrobial effects. PPARs- and NF-κB-mediated activities are also discussed as mechanisms responsible for some of the bioactivities of PYT. The overall goal of this review is to discuss recent findings pertaining to PYT biological activities and its possible applications.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)82-94
    Number of pages13
    JournalFood and Chemical Toxicology
    Volume121
    Early online date24 Aug 2018
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - Nov 2018

    Keywords

    • Biological activities
    • Phytanic acid
    • Phytol
    • Phytol metabolites
    • Plant-derived compounds

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