Geraniol

Geraniol is a terpene alcohol found in a variety of plants, including Cannabis, that has diverse biological activities, including insecticide, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, and antimicrobial properties.^1,2 Geraniol is an insecticide that induces 100% mortality of C. maculatus, when used at a concentration of 16 ?l in an alimentary substrate.³ It has an LD₅₀ value of 0.714 ?l in C. maculatus but does not produce adverse effects in rats when administered in the diet at 10,000 ppm for 16 weeks.^3,2 Topical administration of geraniol (250 ?g) prevents lipid peroxidation, increases glutathione (GSH) levels, and increases the activity of antioxidant enzymes, including catalase, glutathione reductase, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, and superoxide dismutase in a mouse skin model of oxidative stress and inflammation induced by phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate .⁴ It also decreases the levels of TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1β in the same model. Geraniol (100 mg/kg) inhibits HMG-CoA reductase and reduces lipogenesis in hamsters fed an atherogenic diet as a model of hyperlipidemia when administered at a dose of 100 mg/kg.⁵ It also induces apoptosis in and decreases viability of COLO 205 cancer cells (IC₅₀ = 20 ?M).⁶ Formulations containing geraniol have been used as fragrance ingredients and as insecticides in agriculture.

1.Elzinga, S., Fischedick, J., Podkolinski, R., et al.Cannabinoids and terpenes as chemotaxonomic markers in CannabisNat. Prod. Chem. Res.3(4)181(2015) 2.Chen, W., and Viljoen, A.M.Geraniol — A review of a commercially important fragrance materialS. Afr. J. Bot.76(4)643-651(2010) 3.Reis, S.L., Mantello, A.G., Macedo, J.M., et al.Typical monoterpenes as insecticides and repellents against stored grain pestsMolecules21(3)258(2016) 4.Khan, A.Q., Khan, R., Qamar, W., et al.Geraniol attenuates 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA)-induced oxidative stress and inflammation in mouse skin: Possible role of p38 MAP Kinase and NF-κBExp. Mol. Pathol.94(3)419-429(2013) 5.Jayachandran, M., Chandrasekaran, B., and Namasivayam, N.Effect of geraniol, a plant derived monoterpene on lipids and lipid metabolizing enzymes in experimental hyperlipidemic hamstersMol. Cell. Biochem.398(1-2)39-53(2015) 6.Qi, F., Yan, Q., Zheng, Z., et al.Geraniol and geranyl acetate induce potent anticancer effects in colon cancer Colo-205 cells by inducing apoptosis, DNA damage and cell cycle arrestJ. BUON.23(2)346-352(2018)