Papaver Plants: Current Insights on Phytochemical and Nutritional Composition Along with Biotechnological Applications

Abstract

The genus Papaver is highly esteemed in the pharmacy industry, in the culinary field, and as ornamental plants. These plants are also valued in traditional medicine. Among all Papaver species, Papaver somniferum L. (opium poppy) is the most important species in supplying phytochemicals for the formulation of drugs, mainly alkaloids like morphine, codeine, rhoeadine, thebaine, and papaverine. In addition, Papaver plants present other types of phytochemicals, which altogether are responsible for its biological activities. Therefore, this review covers the phytochemical composition of Papaver plants, including alkaloids, phenolic compounds, and essential oils. The traditional uses are reviewed along with their pharmacological activities. Moreover, safety aspects are reported to provide a deep overview of the pharmacology potential of this genus. An updated search was carried out in databases such as Google Scholar, ScienceDirect, and PubMed to retrieve the information. Overall, this genus is a rich source of alkaloids of different types and also contains interesting phenolic compounds, such as anthocyanins, flavonols, and the characteristic indole derivatives nudicaulins. Among other pharmacological properties, numerous preclinical studies have been published about the analgesic, anticancer, antimicrobial, antioxidant, and antidiabetic activities of Papaver plants. Although it highlights the significant impact of this genus for the treatment of a variety of diseases and conditions, as a future prospect, characterization works accompanying preclinical studies are required along with clinical and toxicology studies to establish a correlation between the scientific and traditional knowledge.

Monofloral Corn Poppy Bee-Collected Pollen—A Detailed Insight into Its Phytochemical Composition and Antioxidant Properties

“…In the case of PBP extracts, the presence of alkaloids is strictly related to their botanical origin and corn poppy's chemical characteristics as alkaloid-rich plants. Specifically, different benzylizoquinoline alkaloids are present in corn poppy, with papaverine being the most important one [47]. In addition to papaverine, papaveraldine, a carbonyl derivative of papaverine, as well as papaverrubine E were also identified as specific corn poppy alkaloids in this study.…”

Papaverine: A Miraculous Alkaloid from Opium and Its Multimedicinal Application

“…Other commonly cultivated Papaver species include P. bracteatum Lindl. (Persian poppy), P. rhoeas L. (common poppy or corn poppy), P. dubium L., P. pseudo-orientale Medw., and P. orientale L., which are grown at high altitudes in north and northwest Iran, Russia, the Caucasia region, Europe, and America [ 10 ]. P. somniferum L. produces papaverine naturally in its unripe seed capsules.…”

Biological activities of extracts and compounds from Thai Kae-Lae (Maclura cochinchinensis (Lour.) Corner)

“…Many plant species have shown a variety of biological activities, including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anticancer properties. For example, Papaver somniferum L. ( Papaver plant) is a rich source of alkaloid and phenolic compounds and has exhibited pharmacological properties such as anticancer, antioxidant, antimicrobial, and antidiabetic activities [ 4 ]. Crocus sativus L. (saffron) has also demonstrated a variety of pharmacological activities such as antimicrobial, antioxidant, cytotoxic, cardioprotective, neuroprotective, antidepressant, hypolipidemic, and antihyperglycemic properties [ 5 ].…”