Balkans’ Asteraceae Species as a Source of Biologically Active Compounds for the Pharmaceutical and Food Industry

Abstract

Herbal drugs are a useful source of different bioactive compounds. Asteraceae species, as the most widespread vascular plants can be used both as food and as medicine due to the great diversity of recorded chemical componentsdifferent phenolic compounds, terpenes, carotenoids, vitamins, alkaloids, etc. The Balkan Peninsula is characterized by great diversity of plants from Asteraceae family, including presence of rare and endemic species. In this review, results of the survey of chemical composition and biological activity, mainly focusing on antioxidant, antimicrobial and anticancer effects of selected Balkans' Asteraceae species were provided. In addition, information on edible plants from Asteraceae family is presented, due to growing interest for the so-called "healthy diet" and possible application of Balkans' Asteraceae species as food of high nutritional value or as a source of functional food ingredients.

Hieracium waldsteinii (Asteraceae) and Onosma stellulata (Boraginaceae) as a Source of Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Agents

“…On the other hand, this specificity makes endemics more sensitive and vulnerable to global changes and environmental challenges [1] . In addition, it is important to preserve these species and to be very careful when collecting material for any further analysis [1,2] . Asteraceae (‘sunflower’) is one of the largest plant families spread on all continents, including Antarctica with about 24,000 recognized species and more than 1,000 genera [3] .…”

“…Asteraceae (‘sunflower’) is one of the largest plant families spread on all continents, including Antarctica with about 24,000 recognized species and more than 1,000 genera [3] . It has also been documented that the Balkan Peninsula is characterized by great biodiversity including plants belonging to the Asteraceae family [2] . In addition, chemical composition and health promoting properties of Balkans’ Asteraceae have been reviewed in details recently [2] .…”

“…The species inhabits rocky places of sub‐high mountainous areas of the Balkan Peninsula. Both genera are recognized as an excellent source of different bioactive compounds such as phenolics, volatile compounds, alkaloids, etc [2,4] . In particular, H. waldsteinii possessed a great diversity of different phenolic acids and flavonoids (both aglycones and glycosides) with good antioxidant properties (measured through FRP, DPPH⋅ and 2‐deoxyribose assays) [4] .…”

“…In addition, for any of the mentioned endemics there are no data about potential application as a source of different antimicrobial and antitumor agents. Since the plants from Hieracium and Onosma genera are a well‐known source of different antioxidants, [4,10,19,11–18] enzyme inhibitors, [11,13–20] anti‐diabetic, [16,21] antiproliferative [10] antimicrobial [2,10] as well as antitumor [21,22] agents, the current study aimed to achieve the following:…”

Influence of Extraction Solvent on the Phenolic Profile and Bioactivity of Two Achillea Species

“…Plants of the Asteraceae family have been widely used as traditional medicinal herbs since ancient times. They are the source of many compounds that possess antioxidant, antimicrobial, and anticancer properties [ 24 ]. Moreover, extracts of Asteraceae plants showed high efficiency in the treatment of diabetes, inflammations, etc.…”