Thymus vulgaris and Thymus serpyllum: extraction, distillation, and encapsulation strategies, phytochemical composition and bioactivity
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: In recent years, Thymus vulgaris and Thymus serpyllum essential oils and polyphenolic extracts have attracted considerable attention as sources of bioactive compounds with health-related biological effects. This review aims to provide a comprehensive and comparative evaluation of these two species, focusing on extraction and distillation strategies, phytochemical composition, biological activities, and encapsulation approaches. The influence of chemotype, geographical origin, environmental conditions, and extraction methodology on the composition of essential oils and extracts of both species was critically evaluated. Both species are characterized by the presence of monoterpenes (thymol and carvacrol) and polyphenolic compounds (rosmarinic acid and flavonoids), although their relative abundance varies depending on multiple factors. Reported biological activities, including antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, cytotoxic, and anticarcinogenic effects, were evaluated with emphasis on the limitations of cross-study comparison and the distinction between essential oils, extracts, and isolated compounds. Encapsulation strategies were highlighted as promising approaches for improving stability, bioavailability, and biological activity of Thymus vulgaris and Thymus serpyllum essential oils, extracts, and individual compounds. This review provides a solid basis for the interpretation of existing findings and indicates directions for future research requiring further pharmacological and toxicological validation.
Source: Phytochemistry Reviews
Language: English
Subfield: Food Science
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $4,790
Awards: Computer-aided framework for the systematic synthesis, design, and integration of flow chemistry and microprocesses into sustainable production systems targeting Power-to-X, Understanding the mechanisms and prevention of aggregation of biopharmaceutic proteins, BBMRI, Multi-omic analysis of NFkB-mediated signaling in multiple sclerosis, Unlocking the Selective Catalytic Conversion Processes of CO2 to Ethanol – UliSess, Chemical Carcinogenesis and Neurodegeneration: Molecular-Level Mechanistic Impact of Microwave Irradiation, Optical Chemical/Bio Sensor Systems (OPTISENS), Production, Isolation and Formulation of Health Beneficial Substances from Helichrysum Italicum for Applications in Cosmetic Industry, Computationally intensive complex systems, Unveiling the Analgesic Potential of Herkinorin: A Comprehensive Approach to Designing Safer Opioids, Mechanistic insights into the anticarcinogenic, antioxidative, and antimicrobial activity of natural polyphenolic compounds from Helichrysum italicum, Non-invasive multi-omics biomarkers in immune cells subtypes for personalized medicine in childhood asthma and molecular mechanisms of non-response to inhaled corticosteroids, Separation Processes and Product Design, Library of opioid binding patterns in correlation with their adverse side effects, Coronaviral therapeutic target mutagenesis platform for communal treatment evaluation and the development of pan-coronavirus inhibitors, Development of Electrochemical Biosensor for Detection of Methylmercury, ProBiS-Fold approach for binding site detection for whole structural human proteome in drug discovery
OpenAlex ID: W7204141078