Secondary metabolites of origanum L. (Lamiaceae)

Abstract

In this study, secondary metabolites of the Origanum L. genus have been reviewed. The genus Origanum is one of the most important genera in the Lamiaceae family and has popularly been used as a spice and herbal tea and also in complementary medicine to treat various diseases. The genus contains 42 species and is mainly distributed around the Mediterranean, Euro-Siberian and Iran-Siberian regions. Several different classes of monoterpenoids, phenolics, flavonoids, diterpenoids, triterpenoids, steroids and fatty acids were reported mainly in the aerial parts of Origanum species. The major components of Origanum essential oil are various terpenes with the predominant occurrence of carvacrol, thymol, p-cymene and ?-terpinene. In addition, phenolic constituents containing high amounts of phenolic acids (rosmarinic acid, gallic acid, caffeic acid and p-hydroxybenzoic acid), and flavonoids (kaempferol, apigenin, luteolin, salvigenin, penduletin and quercetin) were reported. Furthermore, six diterpenes, sixteen triterpenes, ten steroids and five fatty acids have been characterized in Origanum species. Phytochemical studies have revealed that Origanum species are rich in secondary metabolites, especially monoterpenes. © 2022 Nova Science Publishers, Inc.