Phytochemical composition and bioactivities of hawthorn (Crataegus spp.): review of recent research advances

Abstract

Hawthorn (Crataegus spp.) is one of the most famous plants which has been used as natural medicine and nutraceutical. Its phytochemical composition, bioactive compounds and health benefits have been intensively studied and hawthorn preparations may be recognized as classical natural products for cardiovascular health. Polyphenolic compounds of different hawthorn anatomical parts as well as their extracts have been the focus of a majority of these studies, although various other classes of natural health promoting constituents have also been isolated, identified and characterized. Regardless, numerous published reports have particularly focused on the activity mechanisms which are very important for supporting various health benefits. This review summarizes the most recent studies on hawthorn, mainly published since 2015. Search of different databases indicates that approximately 200 publications, which are relevant to phytochemistry and health benefits of Crataegus spp., have appeared since then, most of them have not been included in the existing reviews.

Profiled tea extracts exemplifying the importance of characterizing food bioactives: opinion piece

“…The theaflavin enriched BTE has been studied in multiple models. It was observed that BTE reduced edema formation in a dose-dependent manner to the levels exerted by indomethacin and aspirin using different animal models (Gosslau, et al, 2011;2018). Tissue and blood analysis after BTE treatment revealed a concomitant reduction in inflammatory mediators such as COX-2 and TNF-α (Huang, et al, 2006).…”

“…Such a complex material, like a plant or plant extract, is likely to contain a large number of com-pounds, many of which are present at extremely low levels, and may even be unstable during analytical procedures. By the illustration of examples in this review, we advocate a combined chemical and biological evaluation method to have an adequate quality control over the characterization of natural products to achieve a level of consistency and reliability needed for use in functional foods or other therapeutic agent applications (Gosslau et al, 2011;Venskutonis, 2018).…”

“…Down regulation of inflammatory genes corresponds to attenuation of the canonical NF-κB pathway through IκB kinase inhibition and AP-1 activity inhibition by theaflavins or the synergistic effects of theaflavins and catechins (Gosslau et al, 2011). Strong antioxidative properties of polyphenols rich in tea extracts, GTEs and BTEs, also seem to have a major anti-inflammatory effect since free radical-induced cell damage is one of the hallmarks in chronic inflammation (Gosslau et al, 2011;2018). The modulation of other pathways by tea bioactives such as G-protein signaling might add another potential anti-inflammatory mechanism (Aneja et al, 2004;Yang et al, 2009).…”

Hawthorn (Crataegus spp.): An Updated Overview on Its Beneficial Properties

“…According to its traditional use, and since it is generally recognized as safe (GRAS), the Committee for Herbal Medicinal Products of the European Medicines Agency classified hawthorn as a "traditional herbal medicinal product" [21,22]. This wild plant has been used as a traditional medicine, herbal drug, and food supplement for centuries [23,24]. According to the holistic and traditional approach, hawthorn leaves and flowers are used to prepare infusions that can be used to control palpitations, tachycardia, and nervousness.…”

Antioxidant, Cytotoxic, and Enzyme Inhibitory Activities of Agropyron repens and Crataegus monogyna Species

“…Crataegus species have been reported to be used in traditional Chinese medicine to remove blood stasis, improve circulation, treat diarrhea, indigestion, hyperlipidemia, hypertension and abdominal pain; in European traditional medicine in the therapy of heart problems in associated with their antiatherosclerotic, cardiotonic, antispasmodic, and hypotensive properties; in Turkey traditional medicine as a diuretic agent for the treatment of intestinal disorders (13). It has been reported that Crataegus species indicated immunostimulant, radical scavenging, antiviral, anti-lipoperoxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antihyperlipidemic, hepatoprotective, gastroprotective, and hypoglycemic activities in relation to containing phenolic compounds, proanthocyanins, triterpenoids, and flavonoid glycosides (12,14).…”