Essential oils are secondary metabolites with a key-role in plants protection, consisting primarily of terpenes with a volatile nature\nand a diverse array of chemical structures. Essential oils exhibit a wide range of bioactivities, especially antimicrobial activity, and\nhave long been utilized for treating various human ailments and diseases. Cancer cell prevention and cytotoxicity are exhibited\nthrough a wide range of mechanisms of action, with more recent research focusing on synergistic and antagonistic activity between\nspecific essential oils major and minor components. Essential oils have been shown to possess cancer cell targeting activity and\nare able to increase the efficacy of commonly used chemotherapy drugs including paclitaxel and docetaxel, having also shown\nproimmune functions when administered to the cancer patient. The present review represents a state-of-the-art review of the\nresearch behind the application of EOs as anticancer agents both in vitro and in vivo. Cancer cell target specificity and the use\nof EOs in combination with conventional chemotherapeutic strategies are also explored.
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