Vaccinium Species (Ericaceae): Phytochemistry and Biological Properties of Medicinal Plants

Abstract

The Vaccinium L. (Ericaceae) genus consists of a globally widespread and diverse genus of around 4250 species, of which the most valuable is the Vaccinioidae subfamily. The current review focuses on the distribution, history, bioactive compounds, and health-related effects of three species: cranberry, blueberry, and huckleberry. Several studies highlight that the consumption of Vaccinium spp. presents numerous beneficial health-related outcomes, including antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and protective effects against diabetes, obesity, cancer, neurodegenerative diseases and cardiovascular disorders. These plants’ prevalence and commercial value have enhanced in the past several years; thus, the generated by-products have also increased. Consequently, the identified phenolic compounds found in the discarded leaves of these plants are also presented, and their impact on health and economic value is discussed. The main bioactive compounds identified in this genus belong to anthocyanins (cyanidin, malvidin, and delphinidin), flavonoids (quercetin, isoquercetin, and astragalin), phenolic acids (gallic, p-Coumaric, cinnamic, syringic, ferulic, and caffeic acids), and iridoids.

Bio‐fabrication and characterization of nano‐silver using Kickxia elatine plant and its anti‐diabetic effect on alloxan‐induced Sprague Dawley rats — An in vivo approach

“…Plants have the power to heal because they contain a variety of phytochemical components. 63 Plants that are used as medicines naturally have phytochemical compounds that act as defense mechanisms and offer protection against a number of ailments. 64 These phytomolecules are divided into two main classes i.e., primary and secondary.…”

Bioactive Potential of Elderberry (Sambucus nigra L.): Antioxidant, Antimicrobial Activity, Bioaccessibility and Prebiotic Potential

“…The calculation of bioaccessibility was carried out according to the formula presented by Stefănescu et al [25], which is: BI (%) = (Phenolic content after gastrointestinal digestion (in vitro)/Phenolic content before digestion) × 100 (1) Then, the individual phenolic compound content was assessed HPLC-DAD-ESI-MS in the gastric and intestinal phases. The results are presented in Table 3, and as can be seen, the anthocyanin content, such as cyanidin-diglucoside and cyanidin glucoside, decreased from 1.20 ± 0.07 and 15.56 ± 0.19 to 1.03 ± 0.09 and 8.14 ± 0.08 after SIF; cyanidin was only detected before digestion.…”

“…Since prehistoric times, plants have been used for food and as remedies [ 1 ]. In recent years, the interest in food supplements and functional foods, which contain bioactive plant-based compounds, has continuously increased.…”

Native plants from the genus Vaccinium in Colombia and their potential uses. A review

“…Worldwide, the Vaccinium genus includes about 425 species, with blueberries having a high commercial importance (Stevens et al, 2004;Martău et al, 2023). The native plants of the Vaccinium genus of Colombia are the closest relatives to commercial blueberries, which have multiple uses, such as in the food industry (Edger et al, 2022).…”