An Overview on Citrus aurantium L.: Its Functions as Food Ingredient and Therapeutic Agent

Abstract

Citrus aurantium L. (Rutaceae), commonly known as bitter orange, possesses multiple therapeutic potentials. These biological credentials include anticancer, antianxiety, antiobesity, antibacterial, antioxidant, pesticidal, and antidiabetic activities. The essential oil of C. aurantium was reported to display marked pharmacological effects and great variation in chemical composition depending on growing locations but mostly contained limonene, linalool, and β-myrcene. Phytochemically, C. aurantium is rich in p-synephrine, an alkaloid, and many health-giving secondary metabolites such as flavonoids. Animal studies have demonstrated a low affinity of p-synephrine for adrenergic receptors and an even lower affinity in human models. The present review focuses on the different biological activities of the C. aurantium in animal and human models in the form of extract and its pure secondary metabolites. Finally, it is concluded that both the extract and isolated compounds have no unwanted effects in human at therapeutic doses and, therefore, can confidently be used in various dietary formulations.

Plants-Derived Biomolecules as Potent Antiviral Phytomedicines: New Insights on Ethnobotanical Evidences against Coronaviruses

“…Citrus aurantium ( C. aurantium ) belongs to the family of Rutaceae and is generally known as bitter orange [ 249 ]. This plant is known to have many essential components with biological effects [ 100 , 101 ], such as phenolics (flavanone glycosides, hydroxycinnamic acids), vitamin C, and carotenoids [ 99 , 249 , 250 ]. However, C. aurantium fruit extract is manly used for the treatment of anxiety, lung related diseases, obesity, gastrointestinal disorders and prostate cancer [ 249 , 251 ], buts has potential to inhibit or block the ACE-2 receptor.…”

Pharmacology of Herbal Sexual Enhancers: A Review of Psychiatric and Neurological Adverse Effects

“…The bitter orange tree contains vitamins, minerals, terpenoids, and flavonoids [ 190 ]. The most abundant flavonoids are hesperetin and naringenin, which possess, together with terpenoids, carotenoids, and ascorbic acid, a free radical-scavenging ability and inhibit proinflammatory mediators release, exerting a powerful antioxidant activity and reducing tumoral cell proliferation [ 191 , 192 ].…”

Hepatoprotective Effect of Citrus aurantium L. Against APAP-induced Liver Injury by Regulating Liver Lipid Metabolism and Apoptosis

“…Among them, Zhishi, the fruit of Citrus aurantium L., a critical medicine in Asia since ancient times, is now included in the Pharmacopoeia of China with its actual clinical applications by regulating the balance and homeostasis of the body in a holistic fashion [9]. In recent years, Zhishi exhibited many biological activities and pharmacological functions, such as free radical scavenging activity, anti-inflammatory activity, antioxidation activity and antiallergic activity [10]. Our previous study has determined that Zhishi exhibited the strongest activity among the four closely-related Citrus TCMs [11], and can regulate liver metabolism via CYP, indicating the inhibition of Zhishi in APAP metabolic activation [9].…”