article · Molecules
This study examined the chemical composition and biological properties of Eucalyptus globulus essential oil and honey, both individually and in combination. Gas chromatography mass spectrometry confirmed that eucalyptol is the primary constituent of the essential oil, accounting for over ninety percent of its content. Laboratory evaluations assessed antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, dermatoprotective, and antibacterial actions. Combining the essential oil with honey produced the strongest antioxidant performance across three distinct assays. In contrast, the essential oil on its own displayed superior activity against tyrosinase, an indicator of dermatoprotective potential, and against the inflammatory enzyme five lipoxygenase. The anti-inflammatory effect of the essential oil was further supported by in vivo testing using a paw edema model. The essential oil also exhibited the strongest bactericidal action against all bacterial strains tested, indicating distinct therapeutic roles for the single and combined natural extracts.
Natural plant extracts are widely used in traditional medicine, but their therapeutic benefits require rigorous laboratory verification. Demonstrating that Eucalyptus globulus essential oil and honey possess measurable antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and skin-protecting properties provides scientific backing for their use. It also reveals that blending honey with essential oils can selectively enhance specific biological activities, such as antioxidant defense.
The findings could support early-stage product formulation for topical skincare, anti-inflammatory treatments, and natural antibacterial agents. Prospective commercial users include cosmetic, dermatological, and natural health manufacturers seeking bioactive plant ingredients. Because this research remains at the early stage of in vitro testing and preliminary animal models, extensive formulation development, safety profiling, and clinical trials will be required before market deployment.
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Eucalyptus globulus is a plant widely used by the world population, including Morocco, in the treatment of several pathologies. The aim of this work is to evaluate the antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, dermatoprotective, and antimicrobial effects of essential oil and honey from E. globulus, as well as their combination. Chemical composition was determined by GC-MS analysis. The antioxidant activity was evaluated by three tests, namely, DPPH, reducing power, and the β-carotene/linoleic acid assay. The anti-inflammatory activity was investigated in vitro (5-lipoxygenase inhibition) and in vivo (carrageenan-induced paw edema model), while the dermatoprotective activity was tested in vitro (tyrosinase inhibition). Moreover, the antibacterial activity was assessed using agar well diffusion and microdilution methods. The results showed that eucalyptol presents the main compound of the essential oil of E. globulus (90.14%). The mixture of essential oil with honey showed the best antioxidant effects for all the tests used (0.07 < IC50 < 0.19 mg/mL), while the essential oil was the most active against tyrosinase (IC50 = 38.21 ± 0.13 μg/mL) and 5-lipoxygenase (IC50 = 0.88 ± 0.01 μg/mL), which corroborated the in vivo test. Additionally, the essential oil showed the best bactericidal effects against all strains tested, with inhibition diameter values ranging from 12.8 to 21.6 mm. The findings of this work showed that the combination of the essential oil with honey showed important results in terms of biological activity, but the determination of the underlying mechanisms of action remains a major prospect to be determined.
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DOI: 10.3390/molecules27165121
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