Role of essential oils in preventing hepatotoxicity: A comprehensive review.

Abstract

Hepatotoxicity represents one of the significant and challenging health concerns at the worldwide level. To overcome this condition, essential oil can act as a natural therapeutic in alleviating hepatic disorders caused by toxins, drugs, alcohol, or infections. Various aromatic plants such as Citrus species, Allium species, spices, and rosemary species contain bioactive compounds-mainly terpenes, phenolics, flavonoids, and sulfur-containing compounds. These bioactive compounds possess excellent antioxidant potential to neutralize free radicals and promote the endogenous antioxidant defense system, such as SOD, catalase, Gpx, and others as well. In addition to this, they exhibit anti-inflammatory potential to regulate inflammatory cascades and cytokine levels, while their detoxification mechanism stimulates the liver's capacity to eradicate harmful substances. Although previous research has documented that essential oil exhibits the ability to protect the liver from chronic diseases-mainly fibrosis, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), and drug-induced hepatotoxicity-by modulating lipid metabolism, hepatocyte integrity, the antioxidant defense system, and pathological factors, future research is still required to evaluate its efficacy, bioavailability, safe doses, and explore synergistic formulations. Keeping these perspectives in mind, the current review is planned to highlight the hepatoprotective properties of essential oils, their underlying mechanisms, and their prospective contribution to the development of natural therapeutics for liver health.