Department of Agriculture Crop Production and Rural Environment, University of Thessaly, Fytokou Str, 38446 Nea Ionia, Magnesia, Greece.
Department of Agriculture Crop Production and Rural Environment, University of Thessaly, Fytokou Str, 38446 Nea Ionia, Magnesia, Greece.
Food Chem Toxicol. 2018 Apr;114:155-169. doi: 10.1016/j.fct.2018.02.031. Epub 2018 Feb 15.
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.
野生本地物种通常在恶劣和有压力的条件下生长，而一个特殊类别包括耐高盐度的盐生植物。本地盐生植物是生物活性分子的有价值来源，其在盐度条件下的含量高于正常条件，因为对盐度机制的适应除了涉及生理功能的变化外，还包括保护分子的生物合成。这些化合物包括具有多种有益健康作用的次生代谢物，自古以来就为人所知，并被用于药用目的。制药行业的最新趋势表明，使用天然化合物作为合成物的替代品，由于本地草药中促进健康的化合物含量增加且具有变异性，因此它们是这方面的有力候选者。在这篇综述中，将介绍本地草药和盐生植物物种对传统和现代医学的重要性。随后将列出地中海盆地最重要的盐生植物列表，特别关注它们的化学成分及其在临床和民族药理学研究中报告的健康影响。综述最后提出了在可持续性和气候变化背景下，进一步开发这些有价值物种的未来要求和前景。
