Citronellol, a monoterpene alcohol with promising pharmacological activities - A systematic review

Many diseases, such as inflammatory and central nervous system disorders, currently have a limited number of effective side-effect free treatments. Citronellol (CT) is a monoterpene alcohol present in the essential oil of several plants used in cooking and traditional medicine, such as those of the genus Cymbopogon and Citrus, with pharmacological activities already described in the literature. The aim of this review was to summarize the pharmacological activities already attributed to CT that could be used in treatments for humans. The databases PubMed, MedLine, Scopus, Lilacs and Scielo were searched using the terms “Citronellol” and “Drug effect”. 32 articles were identified and used in the study. Twenty-one articles demonstrated CT activities, including antibiotic and antifungal effects in vitro, and 11 properties including analgesic and anticonvulsant effects in vivo, besides presenting low toxicity. In view of the need to discover new drugs and the activities reported for CT, it can be stated that CT is a promising molecule to target in future pharmacological studies. [Display omitted] •Several diseases do not yet have effective treatment without side effects, demonstrating the need for new drug discovery.•Natural products, especially terpenes, have been presented as promising alternatives for the discovery of new drugs.•Citronellol is a monoterpene present in the essential oil of several medicinal plants used in food.•Citronellol has several pharmacological activities, such as anti-inflammatory and analgesic that can be better investigated.•Citronellol presents low toxicological activity, making it an alternative in the search for new drugs.