Exploitation of cytotoxicity of some essential oils for translation in cancer therapy

Essential oils are complex mixtures of several components endowed with a wide range of biological activities, including antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, spasmolytic, sedative, analgesic, and anesthetic properties. A growing body of scientific reports has recently focused on the potential of essential oils as anticancer treatment in the attempt to overcome the development of multidrug resistance and important side effects associated with the antitumor drugs currently used. In this review we discuss the literature on the effects of essential oils in  in vitro and in vivo models of cancer, focusing on the studies performed with the whole phytocomplex rather than single constituents.