doTERRA On Guard® Study

doTERRA On Guard^® essential oil blend includes oils from Wild Orange, Clove, Cinnamon Bark, Eucalyptus, and Rosemary. It can be used to protect against environmental threats and support healthy immune function.* A recent study by doTERRA scientists evaluated the effects of doTERRA On Guard blend on human cells. Four different white blood cell co-cultures and one skin cell co-culture were exposed to the blend and subsequent changes in cellular activity were measured using biomarker analysis.

The combination of multiple cell types grown together in the same dish is called a co-culture. Co-cultures are often more useful models of cell activity than single cell lines because they more closely resemble conditions in the human body, which is a complex combination of various cell types. The co-cultures selected for experimentation in this study have been validated by prior research as effective models of inflammatory or immunomodulatory processes.^1,2

A total of nine different biomarkers were observed to be downregulated in the different white blood cell co-cultures.³ These were the immunomodulatory markers CD40, sIgG, sIL-17A, sIL-17F, sIL-2, and sIL-6, as well as the inflammatory markers sTNFα, V-CAM1, IP-10, Eotaxin-3 and P-Selectin.³

Biomarkers in the skin cell co-culture were also robustly affected. Levels of inflammation-related markers VCAM-1, IP-10, I-TAC, MIG, PAI-1, and M-CSF decreased after exposure to doTERRA On Guard blend.³ Cell proliferation also decreased significantly. RNA microarray analysis revealed that gene expression in these cells was altered, with the top four matched signaling pathways being related to inflammation and cell cycle control.

These results suggest that the effects of doTERRA On Guard essential oil blend are consistent with the known effects of the single oils included in the blend. The experimental data also suggests that doTERRA On Guard may regulate many important pathways relevant to healthy inflammatory response, wound healing, cellular health, and immune response.*