Pharmaco-toxicological aspects of thymol in veterinary medicine. A systematic review

IntroductionThymol, a phenolic compound present in essential oils, has shown promising pharmacological properties and potential veterinary applications. This systematic review aims to evaluate the pharmacological and toxicological effects of thymol on animals.Materials and methodsA comprehensive sea...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Denisa Pérez Gaudio, Mery Giantin, Marianna Pauletto, Mauro Dacasto
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2025-08-01
Series:Frontiers in Veterinary Science
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2025.1562641/full
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1849390819764600832
author Denisa Pérez Gaudio
Denisa Pérez Gaudio
Mery Giantin
Marianna Pauletto
Mauro Dacasto
author_facet Denisa Pérez Gaudio
Denisa Pérez Gaudio
Mery Giantin
Marianna Pauletto
Mauro Dacasto
author_sort Denisa Pérez Gaudio
collection DOAJ
description IntroductionThymol, a phenolic compound present in essential oils, has shown promising pharmacological properties and potential veterinary applications. This systematic review aims to evaluate the pharmacological and toxicological effects of thymol on animals.Materials and methodsA comprehensive search following PRISMA 2020 guidelines was conducted across databases including PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, Web of Science, and LILACS. Various health descriptors, medical subject headings terms, and their synonyms were used to identify studies examining thymol's effects in animals, including its in vitro, in vivo, and in silico toxicity, as well as its possible environmental impact. Only relevant experimental studies from the last 12 years were included, provided they assessed thymol itself, one of its primary phytoadditive sources, or a blend where thymol was at least as concentrated as other components. The protocol was registered in Open Science Framework (DOI: https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/B6SF9).ResultsA total of 1.472 records were identified, with 176 meeting inclusion criteria. Studies spanned from 2012 to 2024, indicating that thymol exhibits antimicrobial, antiviral, antifungal, antiparasitic, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties, among others. However, thymol displays dose-dependent toxicity, especially at high levels, affecting mainly the liver and kidneys.DiscussionThymol holds substantial potential as a therapeutic agent in veterinary medicine due to its beneficial effects and relatively low toxicity. Nonetheless, further research is needed to establish safe and effective dosages across different animal species.Systematic review registrationhttps://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/B6SF9.
format Article
id doaj-art-d14ad54b4e704af28c2a3e607af87edb
institution Kabale University
issn 2297-1769
language English
publishDate 2025-08-01
publisher Frontiers Media S.A.
record_format Article
series Frontiers in Veterinary Science
spelling doaj-art-d14ad54b4e704af28c2a3e607af87edb2025-08-20T03:41:18ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Veterinary Science2297-17692025-08-011210.3389/fvets.2025.15626411562641Pharmaco-toxicological aspects of thymol in veterinary medicine. A systematic reviewDenisa Pérez Gaudio0Denisa Pérez Gaudio1Mery Giantin2Marianna Pauletto3Mauro Dacasto4Laboratorio de Toxicología, Depto. de Fisiopatología, Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias, Centro de Investigación Veterinaria de Tandil (CIVETAN), Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires, Tandil, Buenos Aires, ArgentinaConsejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, ArgentinaDepartment of Comparative Biomedicine and Food Science, Division of Veterinary Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Padua, Padua, ItalyDepartment of Comparative Biomedicine and Food Science, Division of Veterinary Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Padua, Padua, ItalyDepartment of Comparative Biomedicine and Food Science, Division of Veterinary Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Padua, Padua, ItalyIntroductionThymol, a phenolic compound present in essential oils, has shown promising pharmacological properties and potential veterinary applications. This systematic review aims to evaluate the pharmacological and toxicological effects of thymol on animals.Materials and methodsA comprehensive search following PRISMA 2020 guidelines was conducted across databases including PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, Web of Science, and LILACS. Various health descriptors, medical subject headings terms, and their synonyms were used to identify studies examining thymol's effects in animals, including its in vitro, in vivo, and in silico toxicity, as well as its possible environmental impact. Only relevant experimental studies from the last 12 years were included, provided they assessed thymol itself, one of its primary phytoadditive sources, or a blend where thymol was at least as concentrated as other components. The protocol was registered in Open Science Framework (DOI: https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/B6SF9).ResultsA total of 1.472 records were identified, with 176 meeting inclusion criteria. Studies spanned from 2012 to 2024, indicating that thymol exhibits antimicrobial, antiviral, antifungal, antiparasitic, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties, among others. However, thymol displays dose-dependent toxicity, especially at high levels, affecting mainly the liver and kidneys.DiscussionThymol holds substantial potential as a therapeutic agent in veterinary medicine due to its beneficial effects and relatively low toxicity. Nonetheless, further research is needed to establish safe and effective dosages across different animal species.Systematic review registrationhttps://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/B6SF9.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2025.1562641/fullthymolpharmacological effectstoxicological effectsveterinary applicationsin vivoin vitro and in silico studies
spellingShingle Denisa Pérez Gaudio
Denisa Pérez Gaudio
Mery Giantin
Marianna Pauletto
Mauro Dacasto
Pharmaco-toxicological aspects of thymol in veterinary medicine. A systematic review
Frontiers in Veterinary Science
thymol
pharmacological effects
toxicological effects
veterinary applications
in vivo
in vitro and in silico studies
title Pharmaco-toxicological aspects of thymol in veterinary medicine. A systematic review
title_full Pharmaco-toxicological aspects of thymol in veterinary medicine. A systematic review
title_fullStr Pharmaco-toxicological aspects of thymol in veterinary medicine. A systematic review
title_full_unstemmed Pharmaco-toxicological aspects of thymol in veterinary medicine. A systematic review
title_short Pharmaco-toxicological aspects of thymol in veterinary medicine. A systematic review
title_sort pharmaco toxicological aspects of thymol in veterinary medicine a systematic review
topic thymol
pharmacological effects
toxicological effects
veterinary applications
in vivo
in vitro and in silico studies
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2025.1562641/full
work_keys_str_mv AT denisaperezgaudio pharmacotoxicologicalaspectsofthymolinveterinarymedicineasystematicreview
AT denisaperezgaudio pharmacotoxicologicalaspectsofthymolinveterinarymedicineasystematicreview
AT merygiantin pharmacotoxicologicalaspectsofthymolinveterinarymedicineasystematicreview
AT mariannapauletto pharmacotoxicologicalaspectsofthymolinveterinarymedicineasystematicreview
AT maurodacasto pharmacotoxicologicalaspectsofthymolinveterinarymedicineasystematicreview