Dietary Geraniol Ameliorates Intestinal Dysbiosis and Relieves Symptoms in Irritable Bowel Syndrome Patients: a Pilot Study

Overview

Journal BMC Complement Altern Med

Publisher Biomed Central

Specialty Rehabilitation Medicine

Date 2018 Dec 21

PMID 30567535

Citations 8

Authors

Fernando Rizzello

Chiara Ricci

Michela Scandella

Elena Cavazza

Elisabetta Giovanardi

Maria Chiara Valerii

Massimo Campieri

Antonietta Comparone

Luigia De Fazio

Marco Candela

Silvia Turroni

Enzo Spisni

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: (Trans)-3,7-Dimethyl-2,6-octadien-1-ol, commonly called geraniol (Ge-OH), is an acyclic monoterpene alcohol with well-known anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties. Ge-OH is a non-toxic compound classified as Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) by the US Food and Drug Administration and the European Food Security Agency.

Methods: Ge-OH was orally administered at a maximum daily dose of 8 mg kg body weight for four weeks in a delayed release formulation capable of reaching the colon. Fecal microbiota and blood cytokines were analyzed before and after Ge-OH treatment, as well as IBS symptomatology by using Visual Analogue Scale (VAS-IBS).

Results: The results show that orally administered Ge-OH is a powerful modulator of the intestinal microbial ecosystem, capable of leading to increased relative abundances of Collinsella and especially Faecalibacterium, a well-known health-promoting butyrate producer consistently found to be decreased in IBS patients. Moreover, Ge-OH strongly improved the clinical symptoms of colitis by significantly reducing the score recorded by the VAS-IBS questionnaire. Clinical improvement was associated with a significant reduction in the circulating MIP-1β, a chemokine found to be increased in several IBS patients.

Conclusion: Ge-OH could be a powerful component for food supplement targeted to the treatment of IBS patients.

Trial Registration: ISRCTN47041881 , retrospectively registered on 19th July 2018.

Citing Articles

Very-Low-Absorbable Geraniol for the Treatment of Irritable Bowel Syndrome: A "Real-World" Open-Label Study on 1585 Patients.

Ricci C, Saracino I, Valerii M, Spigarelli R, Bellocchio I, Spisni E Nutrients. 2025; 17(2).

PMID: 39861460 PMC: 11767699. DOI: 10.3390/nu17020328.

Plant Monoterpenes and Essential Oils as Potential Anti-Ageing Agents: Insights from Preclinical Data.

Zuzarte M, Sousa C, Alves-Silva J, Salgueiro L Biomedicines. 2024; 12(2).

PMID: 38397967 PMC: 10886757. DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines12020365.

Geraniol Treatment for Irritable Bowel Syndrome: A Double-Blind Randomized Clinical Trial.

Ricci C, Rizzello F, Valerii M, Spisni E, Gionchetti P, Turroni S Nutrients. 2022; 14(19).

PMID: 36235860 PMC: 9571173. DOI: 10.3390/nu14194208.

Nutraceuticals in the Modulation of the Intestinal Microbiota: Current Status and Future Directions.

Spisni E, Turroni S, Alvisi P, Spigarelli R, Azzinnari D, Ayala D Front Pharmacol. 2022; 13:841782.

PMID: 35370685 PMC: 8971809. DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2022.841782.

Antifungal Activity of Natural Compounds vs. spp.: A Mixture of Cinnamaldehyde and Eugenol Shows Promising In Vitro Results.

Saracino I, Foschi C, Pavoni M, Spigarelli R, Valerii M, Spisni E Antibiotics (Basel). 2022; 11(1).

PMID: 35052950 PMC: 8773119. DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics11010073.

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