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Endemic plant species are usually more vulnerable to anthropogenic threats and natural changes and, therefore, hold a higher extinction risk. The preservation of these species is a major concern on a worldwide context and in situ protection alone will not guarantee their conservation. Ex situ conservation measures must be undertaken to support the conservation of these species, and seed banking is the more efficient and cost-effective method. However, when seed banking is not an option, alternative approaches should be considered. Biotechnological tools provide new and complementary options for plant conservation including short-, medium-, and long-term strategies, and their application for plant species conservation has increased considerably in the last years. This review provides information about the status of the use biotechnology-based techniques for the conservation of endemic plant species. Particular attention is given to cryopreservation, since is the only long-term ex situ conservation strategy that can complement and support the other conservation measures. The cryopreservation of plant genetic resources is, however, more focused on crop or economically important species and few studies are available for endemic plant species. The plant material used, the cryopreservation methods employed, and the assessment of cryogenic effects are reviewed. The reasons to explain the difficulties in cryopreserving these species are discussed and new strategies are proposed to facilitate and increase the interest on this matter. We expect that further studies on the conservation of endemic plant species will increase in a near future, thus contributing to maintain these valuable genetic resources.

The antioxidant and enzyme inhibitory properties of methanolic extracts from four aromatic plants used in traditional medicine and food [ (L.) Savi subsp. , subsp. Franco, L. and subsp. (Hoffmanns. & Link) Bonnier & Layens] were evaluated. The extract from exhibited the strongest DPPH (IC of 4.65 ± 0.12 µg/ml) and ABTS (1479.56 ± 12.29 µmol/g) scavenging capacities, as well as the largest ferric reducing ability (1746.76 ± 45.11 µmol/g). This extract also showed the highest total phenolic content (1597.20 ± 24.10 µmol/g) and although HPLC-DAD analysis revealed rosmarinic acid as the main compound of the extract, other compounds seem to be involved in the antioxidant activity. Furthermore, the extract from , which was found to be rich in caffeoylquinic and dicaffeoylquinic acids and in pinocembrin, showed the highest inhibitory potential against acetylcholinesterase, tyrosinase and α-glucosidase. Overall, the results obtained validate the usefulness of the studied plants as valuable sources of natural agents beneficial for human health.

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