The description of thymol
The full name of thymol is 5-methyl-2-isopropylphenol, which is a monomeric substance extracted from the volatile oil of Labiatae plants. It is generally a colorless or white crystalline substance with a molecular formula of C10H14O, a relative molecular mass of 150.22, and a relative density of 0.979. It is slightly soluble in water and easily soluble in organic solvents. Its melting point is 51.5 °C and boiling point is 232.5 °C. Because it is mainly extracted and separated from thyme, it is called thymol.
The function of the thymol
1. Antibacterial effect
A large number of research results have revealed that thymol or plants containing thymol have significant antibacterial activity, and thymol has a broad spectrum and can inhibit most Gram bacteria. Gram-negative bacteria such as Salmonella, Bordetella pertussis, and Chromobacterium violaceum are common, as well as Gram-positive bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus and Listeria monocytogenes. In addition, thymol can work with other substances to enhance antibacterial activity. For example, thymol can be used as an antibiotic adjuvant in combination with antibiotics. Kissels et al found that the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of thymol against Bacillus pertussis and Mycoplasma hemolytica was 1.250 and 0.625 mmol/L, respectively. When it was combined with doxycycline or tilmicosin, the score The inhibitory concentration checkerboard was used to detect its antibacterial effect, and the results showed that the bactericidal effect of thymol and antibiotics was significantly enhanced. Thymol can be combined with volatile compounds in essential oils. Porter et al. found that white mustard volatile oil and thymol jointly inhibited Salmonella, reduced the concentration of essential oil required to inhibit Salmonella, and had certain commercial value. Thymol can also be combined with phage, which can greatly reduce the number of Salmonella in chicken products compared with thymol or phage alone.
2.Anti-inflammatory effect
Thymol can inhibit NF-κB signaling pathway, thereby inhibiting TNF-α and interleukin-6 (IL-6) and interleukin-1β (IL-1β) in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) At the same time, it promotes the expression of erythroid-derived nuclear factor E2-related factor 2 (nuclear factor-E2-related factor 2, Nrf2). In addition, thymol can also significantly reduce the expression of Fos protein (c-Fos), nuclear factor of activated T cells 1 (NFAT1), nuclear factor of activated T cells 2 (NFAT2), and at the protein level, it can induce stress-activated protein kinase and The phosphorylation level of signal transducer and activator of transcription decreases, thereby playing an anti-inflammatory effect. In conclusion, thymol achieves anti-inflammatory effects by inhibiting NF-κB and MAPK signal transduction in cells, reducing or preventing the production of toxic proteins or toxic substances.
3 Antioxidant effect
Phenolic compounds have redox properties and play an important role in neutralizing free radicals and peroxynitrite and decomposing peroxides. The data on antioxidant activity are mainly through 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl Chemical test collection for hydrazine (DPPH) assay or lipid peroxidation. In vitro, thymol improves antioxidant capacity by scavenging free radicals. Thymol and peroxy radicals are prone to chemical reactions, and its hydrogen ions combine with free radicals to generate intermediate product phenoxy radicals, which quickly react with the next free radical, thereby removing peroxy radicals. In the living body, it improves the antioxidant capacity by increasing the activity of biological antioxidant enzymes. How thymol exerts its antioxidant effect is not clear at present. Some studies believe that plant essential oils contain certain antioxidant active substances that can improve the body's antioxidant capacity, which can bind to cell surface receptors, through two levels of transcription and protein expression Increase the expression of antioxidant enzyme genes and enhance the activity of antioxidant enzymes in the body, thereby improving the antioxidant effect of the body.
4.Immunomodulatory effect
Thymol has immunoregulatory effects such as regulating the growth and maturation of dendritic cells, enhancing T cell activity, inducing cell proliferation, and affecting inflammatory responses. It has a certain range of applications in modern medicine and agricultural production. Thymol can reduce the transcription of inflammatory cytokines IL-1β, TNF-α, activator protein-1 and activated T cell genes by regulating terminal kinases, signal transducers and transcriptional activators, making interleukin-2 and interferon -γ production is inhibited, thereby regulating T cell activity.
5.Animal production
As a natural phenolic substance, thymol can be better absorbed, digested, decomposed and metabolized by animals. In animal growth, it can enhance disease resistance, improve production performance and ensure product quality. As an effective antibacterial feed additive, it can reduce the chance of poultry infection, improve the survival rate and improve product quality.
6.The others effect
Thymol activates multiple transient receptor potential nonselective cation channels, including TRPV3, TRPA1, and TRPM8 channels. Regulation of TRP channels, especially TRPA1, has been suggested as a mechanism underlying the antinociceptive activity of thymol. In addition, thymol exhibits several other biological activities, including growth-promoting, antinociceptive, angiorelaxin, genotoxic, and insecticidal properties.
Thymol Pros and Cons
Thymol is a pure natural plant extract, which has various activities such as antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant, and has great potential in animal production. However, studies have found that thymol has a stimulating effect on tissues such as animal cortex and mucous membranes, and if the concentration is too high, it will damage the liver and kidneys, so attention should be paid to the dosage when using it. In addition, due to the limitation of factors such as environment, the cost of natural thymol is very high. At present, it mainly relies on the artificial synthesis of m-cresol and propylene or isopropanol through the Friedel-Crafts alkylation reaction. When generating thymol, many by-products are also produced, such as 2-isopropyl-3 methylphenol, 4-isopropanol Propyl-3-methylphenol and 3-methylbenzene-isopropyl ether are toxic to a certain extent, and will seriously pollute the environment if not handled properly. Therefore, research and exploration are still needed to realize large-scale production of thymol.
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