Russian olive (Elaeagnus angustifolia L.): From a variety of traditional medicinal applications to its novel roles as active antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-mutagenic and analgesic agent

Abstract

Elaeagnus angustifolia L., which is commonly known as oleaster or Russian olive, is a deciduous plant from Elaeagnacea family. This plant can tolerate and survive a wide variety of environmental conditions. Different parts of E. angustifolia plant, especially the fruits and flowers, have been used traditionally in treating a variety of common illnesses such as nausea, cough, asthma, fever, jaundice, and diarrhea. The use of fruit powder and extract of E. angustifolia L. have shown to be effective in alleviating pain in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and also in reducing the healing time of wounds in injured person. In addition, some recent reports have indicated the anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, anticancer and some other properties of oleaster plant. The other important property of this plant would be its role in bio-monitoring the environment for some toxic elements and also its action as a bio-fertilizer agent in distressed lands. It seems that with more advanced studies on E. angustifolia L. and its bioactive components, this plant might be potentially effective and can be used as a natural alternative resource in pharmaceutical industries for treating chronic and serious problems, Fig. 1.

Hypoglycemic potential of Elaeagnus angustifolia fruit polysaccharide on streptozotocin-induced type 2 diabetic mice

“…The fruit from E. angustifolia contains higher content of polysaccharide which can reduce blood lipid and lower hypertension (Bendaikha et al, 2014). Furthermore, several researchers have reported that E. angustifolia polysaccharide have significant anti-oxidant capacity, anti-inflammatory capacity, anti-mutagenic capacity (Du et al, 2016;Hamidpour et al, 2017). Some experts researched the effect of E. angustifoli polysaccharides on immune functions of immunosuppressive mice and they found that E. angustifolia polysaccharides markedly increased the immunity function by increasing the spleen and thymus index of mice (Lian et al, 2009).…”

Protective Effect of Elaeagnus angustifolia L. Fruit Hydroalcoholic Extract on Cyclophosphamide-Induced Nephrotoxicity in Mice

“…The extract has the ability to inhibit the activity of cyclooxygenase 1 and 2 enzymes and it seems to be a right candidate to become a good anti-inflammatory drug, as well (28). The report of a previous study indicated that the effectiveness of extract of E. angustifolia L. in reducing chronic pain and inflammation is comparable to that of chemical drugs such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), indomethacin, and dexamethasone (26). The results obtained from another study suggest that the combination of ginger and E. angustifolia extract is safe and can be effective in reducing pain in patients suffering from osteoarthritis (29).…”

“…The result of another study suggests that after administration of the methanolic fruit extract of E. angustifolia in rats with ethanol-induced gastric ulcer, a strong gastroprotective activity was observed as evidenced by histopathological examination and ulcer index determination (25). Further studies assessed the pharmacological mechanism of action of E. angustifolia extract in vascular and respiratory smooth muscle cells (26). A previous study showed the effectiveness of aqueous extract of E. angustifolia leaves, and its cardioprotective activity on induced ischemia/reperfusion was demonstrated in isolated rat heart.…”

Chemistry, Pharmacology and Medicinal Property of Russian olive (Elaeagnus angustifolia L.)

“…Elaeagnus angustifolia L. (oleaster, Russian olive, wild olive) belongs to the genus Elaeagnus of Elaeagnacea (Araliaceae) family [1]. There are more than 90 species of the Elaeagnus found around the world which are mainly distributed in subtropical regions of Asia, Europe and some parts of North America [2].…”