Monoterpene's multiple free radical scavenging capacity as compared with the radioprotective agent cysteamine and amifostine

Monoterpenes are major active components of lavender, thyme, and mint. The X-ray radioprotective activity of pure monoterpenes is attributed to their scavenging ability against active species, but so far no firm evidence has been demonstrated. The objective of this study is to quantitatively determine antioxidant abilities of monoterpenes and collate it with radioprotective activity. Using multiple free-radical scavenging (MULTIS) method, we have determined the scavenging abilities of monoterpenes (linalool, thymol, and menthol) against six active species. A previous study has shown that the monoterpene linalool is a radioprotector for cellular systems, therefore, its scavenging ability was compared with known radioprotective agents such as cysteamine and amifostine. Results indicated that the monoterpene menthol but not linalool is a potent scavenger of reactive oxygen species and its scavenging magnitude is comparable to cysteamine and amifostine. This paper is first to show a correlation between ROS scavenging ability and radioprotective action.