Mediterranean Lavenders from Section Stoechas: An Undervalued Source of Secondary Metabolites with Pharmacological Potential

Abstract

Globally, climate change and wildfires are disrupting natural ecosystems, thus setting several endemic species at risk. The genus Lavandula is widely present in the Mediterranean region and its species, namely, those included in the section Stoechas, are valuable resources of active compounds with several biological assets. Since ancient times lavenders have been used in traditional medicine and for domestic purposes. These species are melliferous, decorative, and essential oil-producing plants with a high economic interest in the pharmaceutical, flavor, fragrance, and food industries. The essential oils of Lavandula section Stoechas are characterized by high amounts of 1,8-cineole, camphor, fenchone, and specifically for L. stoechas subsp. luisieri one of the major compounds is trans-α-necrodyl acetate. On the other hand, the diversity of non-volatile components like phenolic compounds, such as phenolic acids and flavonoids, make these species an important source of phytochemicals with pharmacological interest. Rosmarinic, caffeic, and salvianolic B acids are the major phenolic acids, and luteolin and eriodictyol-O-glucuronide are the main reported flavonoids. However, the concentration of these secondary metabolites is strongly affected by the plant’s phenological phase and varies in Lavandula sp. from different areas of origin. Indeed, lavender extracts have shown promising antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer properties as well as several other beneficial actions with potential for commercial applications. Despite several studies on the bioactive potential of lavenders from the section Stoechas, a systematized and updated review of their chemical profile is lacking. Therefore, we carried out the present review that gathers relevant information on the different types of secondary metabolites found in these species as well as their bioactive potential.

Lavandula pedunculata Polyphenol-Rich Extracts Obtained by Conventional, MAE and UAE Methods: Exploring the Bioactive Potential and Safety for Use a Medicine Plant as Food and Nutraceutical Ingredient

“…The remaining three articles used LP grown in Morocco [7,34] and Turkey [35]. The most abundant compounds found in all the LP extracts were the hydroxycinnamic acids (50%), which agrees with the literature available for LP [3,4] and other Lavandula species [6]. Nevertheless, previous studies from Lopes et al [3] identified only thirteen phenolic compounds, nine hydroxycinnamic acids and four flavonoids.…”

“…Phenolic compounds have been shown to positively affect human health, lowering the risk of diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular disease, and neurological problems [5]. Recent studies have shown that LP extracts have potential through their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiproliferative, antimicrobial, anti-tyrosinase and anticholinesterase activity [6]. In addition, LP extracts have also shown an antihyperglycemic effect using in vitro, ex vivo and in vivo methods.…”

Unlocking the combined action of Mentha pulegium L. essential oil and Thym honey: In vitro pharmacological activities, molecular docking, and in vivo anti-inflammatory effect

“…Interestingly, Domingues and Santos [ 61 ] in their comprehensive review have stated that M. pulegium EOs show significant chemical fluctuation, varying both in nature and number of constituents. This difference are potentially related to plant polymorphism [ 54 ], but can also be attributed to seasonal variation [ 62 ], and geographical origin [ 63 , 64 ].…”

In Vitro Propagation of Algerian Lavandula Stoechas and Assessment of Biochemical Composition and Their Antioxidant Activity

“…Previous research has shown that Lavender species have a significant quantity of total phenolic chemicals in hydroethanolic extracts, which L. stoechas having an exceptionally high phenolic content 50 . In the present study, the hydroethanolic extract from in vitro cultures of L. stoechas exhibited the highest concentration of phenolic compounds, with a value of 83.18 ± 3.07 mg GAE/g DW extract.…”