Evaluating In Silico the Potential Health and Environmental Benefits of Houseplant Volatile Organic Compounds for an Emerging ‘Indoor Forest Bathing’ Approach
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 15465466 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Valentina Roviello (0000-0001-7340-8101, University of Naples Federico II, corresponding author), Pasqualina Liana Scognamiglio (0000-0002-1444-8039, Italian Institute of Technology), Ugo Caruso (0000-0002-0572-5436, University of Naples Federico II), Caterina Vicidomini (Institute of Biostructure and Bioimaging), Giovanni N Roviello (0000-0002-6978-542X, Institute of Biostructure and Bioimaging, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2021 |
| Volume | 19 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 273-273 |
| Publication date | 2021-12-27 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1661-7827 • E-ISSN: 1660-4601 |
| Publisher | Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (PUBLISHER • CH) |
| DOI | 10.3390/ijerph19010273 |
| PMID | 35010532 |
| OpenAlex | W4200484406 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 38 |
The practice of spending time in green areas to gain the health benefits provided by trees is well known, especially in Asia, as 'forest bathing', and the consequent protective and experimentally detectable effects on the human body have been linked to the biogenic volatile organic compounds released by plants. Houseplants are common in houses over the globe and are particularly appreciated for aesthetic reasons as well for their ability to purify air from some environmental volatile pollutants indoors. However, to the best of our knowledge, no attempt has been made to describe the health benefits achievable from houseplants thanks to the biogenic volatile organic compounds released, especially during the day, from some of them. Therefore, we performed the present study, based on both a literature analysis and in silico studies, to investigate whether the volatile compounds and aerosol constituents emitted by some of the most common houseplants (such as peace lily plant, Spathiphyllum wallisii , and iron plant, Aspidistra eliator ) could be exploited in 'indoor forest bathing' approaches, as proposed here for the first time not only in private houses but also public spaces, such as offices, hospitals, and schools. By using molecular docking (MD) and other in silico methodologies for estimating vapor pressures and chemico-physical/pharmacokinetic properties prediction, we found that β-costol is an organic compound, emitted in appreciable amounts by the houseplant Spathiphyllum wallisii , endowed with potential antiviral properties as emerged by our MD calculations in a SARS-CoV-2 M pro (main protease) inhibition study, together with sesquirosefuran. Our studies suggest that the anti-COVID-19 potential of these houseplant-emitted compounds is comparable or even higher than known M pro inhibitors, such as eugenol, and sustain the utility of houseplants as indoor biogenic volatile organic compound emitters for immunity boosting and health protection
Air pollutants · Air pollution · Biology · Environmental health · Health risk · Human health · In silico · Pollutant · Chemistry · Environmental Science · Essential Oils and Antimicrobial Activity · Indoor Air Quality and Microbial Exposure · Medicine · Olfactory and Sensory Function Studies · Ecology · Environmental Chemistry
| Citations per year | 0.25 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2022 - 2022 (1) |
| Highly cited | No |