Halophytic herbs of the Mediterranean basin: An alternative approach to health

Abstract

Wild native species are usually grown under severe and stressful conditions, while a special category includes halophytic species that are tolerant to high salinity levels. Native halophytes are valuable sources of bioactive molecules whose content is higher in saline than normal conditions, since the adaptation to salinity mechanisms involve apart from changes in physiological functions the biosynthesis of protectant molecules. These compounds include secondary metabolites with several beneficial health effects which have been known since ancient times and used for medicinal purposes. Recent trends in pharmaceutical industry suggest the use of natural compounds as alternative to synthetic ones, with native herbs being strong candidates for this purpose due to their increased and variable content in health promoting compounds. In this review, an introductory section about the importance of native herbs and halophyte species for traditional and modern medicine will be presented. A list of the most important halophytes of the Mediterranean basin will follow, with special focus on their chemical composition and their reported by clinical and ethnopharmacological studies health effects. The review concludes by suggesting future requirements and perspectives for further exploitation of these valuable species within the context of sustainability and climate change.

3,5-Dicaffeoyl-Epi-Quinic Acid Isolated from Edible Halophyte Atriplex gmelinii Inhibits Adipogenesis via AMPK/MAPK Pathway in 3T3-L1 Adipocytes

“…Their bioactive constituents were reported to be able to treat, prevent, or cure numerous disorders and so research on the utilization of these compounds in pharmaceutical and nutraceutical fields is now attracting great interest. Halophytes and their active compounds have many pharmacological health benefits, including liver protection, antioxidative, anticancer, antimicrobial, antiatherogenic, antiallergic, and anti-inflammatory [21, 22]. A. gmelinii is an edible halophyte native to Korea, Japan, and North America.…”

UPLC-MS/MS Phytochemical Analysis of Two Croatian Cistus Species and Their Biological Activity

“…Since ancient times, Cistaceae have been used in ethnomedicine due to their pharmacological potential against a broad range of disorders, including various skin diseases, diarrhea, ulcers, dysentery, catarrh, menstruation difficulties, and gout due to a number of natural pharmacological compounds they consist of [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]. According to ethno-pharmacology, the Cistus species has been used due to its antimicrobial, antiproliferative, anticancer, antiviral, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiulcerogenic, antidiarrheal, and antispasmodic activity [ 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 ].…”

“…Phytochemical profile of different Cistus species aqueous extracts reveals their polyphenolic profile, having flavonoids, phenolic acids, and ellagitanins as their main constituents [ 2 , 3 , 6 , 8 , 10 , 15 , 23 , 26 , 31 , 32 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 ].…”

TransgenicAtCKXCentaury Plants GrownIn Vitro

“…Similarly, Šiler et al [134] demonstrated that centaury plants keep the rosette forms under salt stress in vitro. Variations in the salt tolerance could be explained by differences among centaury genotypes, which is related to the recent report describing this species as a common salt-tolerant medicinal herb from Mediterranean region [135]. Whereas the non-transformed and AtCKX1 transgenic line showed the same trend of shoot regeneration potential under salt stress conditions, the AtCKX2 transgenic lines differed exhibiting a gradually decreased frequency of regeneration, the average number of regenerated shoots and fresh shoot weight with increased NaCl in the medium.…”