A review of the pharmacological and therapeutic effects of auraptene

There is a growing awareness in herbal medications as they are usually safe and devoid of significant adverse effects. Auraptene is a natural bioactive monoterpene coumarin ether and is consumed all over the world. There is growing evidence of the therapeutic benefits of auraptene. Auraptene, also known as auraptene and 7-geranyloxycoumarin, is a bioactive monoterpene coumarin from Rutaceae family, which is isolated from Citrus aurantium (Seville orange) and Aegle marmelos (bael fruit). Auraptene is a highly pleiotropic molecule, which can modulate intracellular signaling pathways that control inflammation, cell growth, and apoptosis. It has a potential therapeutic role in the prevention and treatment of various diseases due to its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities as well as its excellent safety profile. In the present article, various pharmacological and therapeutic effects of auraptene were reviewed. Different online databases using keywords such as auraptene, therapeutic effects and pharmacological effects were searched until the end of September 2018, for this purpose. Auraptene has been suggested to be effective in the treatment of a broad range of disorders including inflammatory disorders, dysentery, wounds, scars, keloids, and pain. In addition, different studies have demonstrated that auraptene possesses numerous pharmacological properties including anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidative, anti-diabetic, anti-hypertensive and anti-cancer as well as neuroprotective effects. The present review provides a detailed survey of scientific researches regarding pharmacological properties and therapeutic effects of auraptene.