Chemical diversity and pharmacological significance of the secondary metabolites of nutmeg (Myristica fragrans Houtt.)

Nutmeg is a valued kitchen spice that has been used for centuries all over the world. In addition to its use in flavoring foods and beverages, nutmeg has been used in traditional remedies for stomach and kidney disorders. The antioxidant, antimicrobial and central nervous system effects of nutmeg ha...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Phytochemistry reviews 2016-12, Vol.15 (6), p.1035-1056
Main Authors: Abourashed, Ehab A., El-Alfy, Abir T.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Antioxidants
Beverages
Biochemistry
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Central nervous system
Chemistry/Food Science
Essential oils
Life Sciences
Metabolites
Nutmeg
Organic Chemistry
Pharmacology
Phenolic compounds
Phenols
Plant Genetics and Genomics
Plant Sciences
Secondary metabolites
Stomach
Triterpenes
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Nutmeg is a valued kitchen spice that has been used for centuries all over the world. In addition to its use in flavoring foods and beverages, nutmeg has been used in traditional remedies for stomach and kidney disorders. The antioxidant, antimicrobial and central nervous system effects of nutmeg have also been reported in literature. Nutmeg is a rich source of fixed and essential oil, triterpenes, and various types of phenolic compounds. Many of the secondary metabolites of nutmeg exhibit biological activities that may support its use in traditional medicine. This article provides an overview of the chemistry of secondary metabolites isolated from nutmeg kernel and mace including common methods for analysis of extracts and pure compounds as well as recent approaches towards total synthesis of some of the major constituents. A summary of the most significant pharmacological investigations of potential drug leads isolated from nutmeg and reported in the last decade is also included.
ISSN:1568-7767
1572-980X
DOI:10.1007/s11101-016-9469-x