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Sandy everlasting [Helichrysum arenarium (L.) Moench] is herbaceous perennial plant belonging to Asteraceae family and it is native to Europe, Central Asia, and China. It belongs to the section HELICHRYSUM (Asteraceae family, genus Helichrysum) along with H. plicatum DC. Prodr., which very similar phenolic profile and H. italicum (Roth), which is widely used for essential oil extraction. Its flowers have a long tradition in European ethnomedicine as a cholagogue, choleretic, hepatoprotective, and detoxifying herbal drug. The flowers are rich in phenolic compounds including flavonoids, chalcones, phenolic acids, coumarins, and pyrones. Apart from polyphenols, other compounds such as sterols, lignans, and glycosides of aromatic compounds have been also isolated from H. arenarium. The majority of authors confirm that the most important group of compounds responsible for biological activities is flavonoids. Moreover, significant activities of naringenin, one of the main flavonoids of H. arenarium, were reported. On the other hand, there are no clinical data about testing the extracts or preparations based on H. arenarium. Although H. arenarium is well known in phytotherapy for its potential in the treatment of gallbladder disease and are classified as endangered species in a number of European countries, very few data about its cultivation are available in the literature.

Background: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is commonly associated with hyperglycemia, dyslipidemia, oxidative stress and inflammation which are well known cardiovascular risk factors. Pomegranate peel polyphenols have a proven hypolipemic, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity. However, there is a lack of clinical studies that would confirm its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects in diabetic patients. The potential of pomegranate peel extract (PoPEx) to counteract inflammation and oxidative stress in T2DM patients was investigated. For this purpose, a randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled study involving adult T2DM patients treated with PoPEx or placebo for eight-weeks was conducted. Methods: Patients were randomly divided into two groups: the first group (n = 30) received capsules containing PoPEx 250 mg twice daily, while the placebo group (n = 30) received placebo capsules twice daily. Plasma concentration of inflammatory factors (interleukin 6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) and high sensitivity C reactive protein (hsCRP)), oxidative stress biomarkers (thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), nitrites (NO2 − ), superoxide anion radical (O2 − ), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), total antioxidant capacity (TAC)), homocysteine and lipid profile were analyzed. Results: The PoPEx treatment showed a significant reduction of inflammatory factors (IL-6, TNF-α, hsCRP), oxidative stress biomarkers (TBARS, NO2 − , O2 − ) and homocysteine, while the TAC was increased. Moreover, a significant improvement in lipid profile was observed in the PoPEx group. Additional analysis showed a significant inverse correlation between the decrements of all measured inflammatory markers and TAC in the PoPEx group. Conclusions: The study demonstrated that eight-week-long PoPEx administration had favorable effects on inflammatory status and oxidative stress biomarkers in diabetic patients.

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