Investigation of Antioxidant and Antiviral Properties of Geraniol

Geraniol is an acyclic monoterpene alcohol with characteristic rose-like odour. It is an important constituent of Bulgarian Rosa alba L. and Rosa damascena Mill. essential oils. The purpose of the present study was to investigate antioxidant ability as well to reveal the potential for antiviral activity of geraniol against the replication of viruses belonging to different taxonomic groups and representing important human pathogens. Geraniol significantly depressed the effect of oxidation - it showed good ability to capture 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radicals and to inhibit lipid peroxidation in a egg liposomal suspension. Geraniol showed low cytotoxicity toward HEp-2 cells. It was tested in vitro for its activity against viruses representing important human pathogens assigned to different taxonomic groups: coxsackievirus B1 (CV-B1) from the Picornaviridae family, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) from the Paramyxoviridae family, and influenza virus A/Aichi/68/H3N2 from the Orthomyxoviridae family. In vitro antiviral effect was examined by the virus cytopathic effect inhibition assay. Geraniol showed antiviral activity only against CVB1 – the ratio of selective index is 3.9. The investigated biological properties of geraniol, including good antioxidant and antiviral activities against some virus families, together with negligible toxicity, warrant further studies to explore the feasibility of formulating geraniol-containing consumer products with health promoting properties.