Opuntia ficus indica (L.) Mill. an ancient plant source of nutraceuticals

Curr Top Med Chem. 2022 Aug 3. doi: 10.2174/1568026622666220803151814. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTOpuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill. (OFI) is a plant with numerous beneficial properties known in traditional medicine. It has been a domesticated plant in Latin America, Africa, Mediterranean countries, the Middle East, India and Australia. Nowadays, the research concentrates his efforts on natural compounds to lower cost and the possible side effects exerted by synthetic compounds. The use of nutraceuticals, bioactive compounds of vegetable origin with important nutritional values, is encouraged. OFI has shown numerous activities due to its high content of antioxidants, including flavonoids and ascorbate, pigments, including carotenoids and betalains, phenolic acids and other phytochemical components, such as biopeptides and soluble fibers. The most important effects exerted by OFI are represented by the activity against acne, arthrosis, dermatosis, diabetes, diarrhea, fever, high blood pressure, prostatosis, rheumatism, stomachache, tumor, wart, allergy, wound, colitis and some viral diseases. Moreover, a promising role has been suggested in inflammatory bowel disease, colitis and metabolic syndrome. The most recent studies were addressed to the role of OFI for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19 disease. In the light of the above, in this review the biological activities and health benefits that this plant may exert are summarized.PMID:35927821 | DOI:10.2174/1568026622666...
Source: Current Topics in Medicinal Chemistry - Category: Chemistry Authors: Source Type: research