Limonene

SATURDAY, March 29, 2025 -- A new formula made with natural citrus oil could help cancer patients find relief from dry mouth, a common and painful side effect of radiation treatments. The formula was created by researchers at the University of South Australia and Stanford University. It mixes limonene -- a citrus oil found in lemons, limes and oranges -- with healthy fats known as lipids. Mixed together, they make the oil much easier for the body to absorb and reduce common side effects like dry mouth and stomach pain. In lab tests, the new mix was 180 times more soluble than pure limonene. In early trials, it increased absorption in the body by more than 4000%, according to a news release. Dry mouth, or xerostomia, affects up to 70% of patients who get radiation for head and neck cancer. It can make speaking and swallowing very difficult and can lower quality of life. “Cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy and other medical treatments regularly experience dry mouth, which not only prevents them from comfortably swallowing, but can also have other negative and potentially life-threatening outcomes,” said co-researcher Leah Wright , a professor of chemical engineering at The University of Adelaide in Australia. Limonene has long been known to help with saliva production, but high doses were needed to work well. Those doses often caused side effects like indigestion and “citrus burps.” Lead author Clive Prestidge , head of the Nanostructure and Drug Delivery research group at the University of South Australia, says the new formula solves that problem. “The therapeutic benefits of limonene are well known. It’s used as an anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and mood-enhancing agent, and can also improve digestion and gut function. But despite its widespread use, its volatility and poor solubility have limited its development as an oral therapy,” Prestidge said in a news release. Wright added that even though limonene can be ingested directly, it's not well tolerated, especially with folks who have dry mouth. "Plus, its poor absorption prevents it from effectively reaching the salivary glands -- the target site," she added. “This inventive and highly impactful limonene-lipid formulation could provide a simple, effective oral solution for dry mouth, offering cancer patients long-lasting relief and comfort, improved oral health, and a higher quality of life during a difficult time,” Wright said. The findings were recently published in the International Journal of Pharmaceutics . Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.

偶极非质子溶剂（DMSO、DMF、DMAc、NMP等）由于其显著的极性和溶解性，在有机合成和药物研究中得到了广泛的应用，然而，由于其不可避免的毒性以及后处理会产生大量废水，对人类健康造成有害影响，对自然环境造成危害，因此它们大多数都是不经济不绿色的。 我们都知道不管是实验室，还是工业生产，绝大多数有机反应都是在有机溶剂中进行的，而有机溶剂是产生合成化学超过八成的有机废物，处理这些有机废液不仅费时费力，而且相当的昂贵。所以绿色环保易处理的溶剂成为了化学界的需求和追求。 通过学界和工业界大量努力，在过去的二十年间，各种新型绿色溶剂取得了极大的进展，让减少甚至避免使用传统大极性溶剂成为了可能。使用新型绿色溶剂直接替代不绿色偶极非质子溶剂无疑是最简单有效的方法。已经报道的可直接替代DMF、NMP、DMAc、DMSO等传统极性非质子溶剂的绿色溶剂主要包括以下三类： 极性生物质基绿色溶剂、氢键供体-受体对溶剂和其他绿色溶剂体系。 a, Polar bio-based solvents 例如：柠檬烯、松油烯、甲基四氢呋喃、γ-戊内酯(GVL)等。 GLV是一种来源于木质纤维素且易提取的溶剂，其在过渡金属催化的偶联反应中得到了良好的应用，研究发现，使用GLV不仅可以减少反应中催化剂中金属元素的损耗，而且可以提高金属催化剂的回收。 b, HBD–HBA solvent pairs 由氢键供体(HBD)-受体(HBA)对混合组成的溶剂可以得到合适的KT参数, 从而为不绿色极性非质子溶剂的替代提供了新的选择。 c, Other polar green solvents 还有其他一些环境友好的溶剂可以直接用于有机合成过程，可以用来取代有问题的偶极非质子溶剂，如碳酸丙烯酯（PC）；环戊基甲醚（CPME）；环丁砜及其衍生物等。 碳酸丙烯酯是一种低毒、无腐蚀性、可生物降解的无色液体。 环丁砜溶剂对芳烃具有较高的溶解能力，良好的选择性，热稳定性好，蒸汽压低，毒性小及对碳钢无腐蚀等特点，故环丁砜抽提技术已成为目前世界上应用最广泛的芳烃抽提技术。环丁砜及其衍生物3-环丁烯砜不但具有NMP、DMSO、DMF、DMAc等相似的极性, 而且没有生殖毒性, 且其皮肤渗透性极低。该类化合物被认为是替换常规不绿色极性非质子溶剂的理想选择。 环戊基甲醚是一种新型环保高性能疏水性醚类溶剂，是一种新型环保高性能疏水性醚类溶剂，可替代四氢呋喃、甲基四氢呋喃、甲基叔丁基醚和二恶烷等醚类溶剂。可用于格式反应，偶联反应，偶联胺化反应，金属还原反应，路易斯酸反应和弗里德-克拉夫茨反应等反应。同时也用于萃取，结晶，表面处理和聚合过程。 d, Indirect replacement with green solvents based on the design of specific catalysts 迄今为止，利用这一策略开发的催化剂主要有以下四类：(1) solvent-conserving functional ILs; (2) natural DESs (NADESs); (3) solid acid catalysts with dipolar motifs; and (4) surfactant-type solid catalysts。 文章内容主要来源于以下文献：