O potencial terapêutico do fitol: uma revisão bibliográfica.

Abstract

Phytol is a diterpene widely distributed throughout the planet and originates from the degradation, mainly, of chlorophyll-a and is present in the human diet. Phytol is currently widely used in the cosmetics industry as a surfactant. However, because it has several pharmacological activities such as cytotoxic, antimultagen, antiviral, antifungal, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antitumor, antiparasitic, antioxidant, anxiolytic, immunostimulant, phytol, it is considered a strong candidate for the production of new pharmaceutical alternatives. In view of this, this study aimed to carry out a bibliographic survey on the pharmacological activities of phytol, from files available for free in electronic databases (Capes Periodicals, Electronic Libary Online (SciElo), Virtual Health Library (VHL), Science Direct and PubMed) using pre-established descriptors, whose publication period was from 2009 to 2019. A total of 70 works were found, of which 16 were used. However, most jobs are available for a fee. However, even with the increase in the interest of phytol in recent years and an increasing increase in publications and scientific work carried out in the area, it is still not possible to clarify the mechanisms of action of phytol. Evidence shows that phytanic acid is the main metabolite of phytol with various activities, for example, antimicrobial, antiviral, antineoplastic, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, anxiolytic, antidepressant, antinociceptive, antiallergic and mainly antioxidant. Thus, phytol is considered promising for the development of new drugs.