PHARMACOLOGICAL ACTIONS OF α-PINENE AND β-PINENE

Abstract

Medicinal plants have contributed significantly to the development of new therapeutic strategies. Among the natural products with therapeutic potential, essential oils (EOs) that are obtained from plant products stand out due to their diversity of biological activities. Pinenes are some of the chemical components present in essential oils, with emphasis on alpha (α-pinene) and beta-pinene (β-pinene). This article aimed to gather scientific evidence that confirms the pharmacological actions of α-pinene and β-pinene. The method was based on bibliographic research in two journals, BVS and SciELO, from 2018 to 2023, using an individual search for the descriptors “alpha-pinene” and “beta-pinene”. Initially, 327 articles on α-pinene were obtained. After applying the inclusion criteria, 28 were selected on α-pinene for this review. For β-pinene, 184 articles were found, of which 6 were selected for the study, according to the proposed methodology. The main pharmacological properties indicated in the literature for α-pinene were: antibacterial, antitumor, neuroprotective, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antinociceptive, antifungal, gastroprotective, anxiolytic, sedative, immunomodulatory, antiapoptotic and anticonvulsant activity. And for β-pinene, it was observed in the articles that composed the study that the respective pharmacological activities were: hypoglycemic, hypolipidemic, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, antioxidant, antifungal and anticonvulsant. In view of the above, this study contributed to emphasize the importance and need for new pharmaco-biological research related to the use of α-pinene and β-pinene, since there have been extensive reports in the literature of their use for therapeutic purposes and alternative treatments.