title: Haberlea rhodopensis: pharmaceutical and medical potential as a food additive.
abstract: This review discusses the potential of Haberlea rhodopensis as a food additive. The following are described: plant distribution, reproduction, cultivation, propagation and resurrection properties; extraction, isolation and screening of biologically active compounds; metabolite changes during dehydration; phytotherapy-related properties such as antioxidant potential and free radical-scavenging activities, antioxidant skin effect, antibacterial activity, cytotoxic activity and cancer-modulating effect, radioprotective effect, chemoprotective effect, immunologic effect; present use in homoeopathy and cosmetics, pharmacological and economical importance; perspectives based on the ethnobotanical data for medicinal, cosmetic or ritual attributes. H. rhodopensis showed unique medical and pharmaceutical potential, related to antioxidant, antimicrobial, antimutagenic, anticancer, radioprotective, chemoprotective and immunological properties. H. rhodopensis extracts lack any cytotoxic activity and could be used in phytotherapy. The metabolic profiling of H. rhodopensis extracts revealed the presence of biologically active compounds, possessing antiradical and other physiological activities, useful for design of in vitro synthesised analogues and drugs.
authors: a Institute of Biophysics and Biomedical Engineering, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences , 1113 Sofia , Bulgaria.
authors: Roumiana
authors: R
authors: Todorova
authors: b Department of Physics and Biophysics , Medical Faculty, Thracian University , 6000 Stara Zagora , Bulgaria.
authors: Atanas T
authors: AT
authors: Atanasov
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002031:Bulgaria; D005503:Food Additives; D016166:Free Radical Scavengers / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology; D006801:Humans; D000068378:Lamiales / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology; D055432:Metabolomics; D008517:Phytotherapy; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018515:Plant Leaves
chemical_list: D005503:Food Additives; D016166:Free Radical Scavengers; D010936:Plant Extracts
keywords: Haberlea rhodopensis; biologically active compounds; medical properties; perspectives as food additive; pharmaceutical properties; resurrection