Antioxidant Potential of Ziziphora Clinopodioides Lam: A Narrative Review

Abstract

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are generated by many redox processes that normally occur in the metabolism of aerobic cells. They are highly reactive and harmful to normal cells. If not eliminated, they can damage important molecules, such as DNA and proteins. These harmful effects of free radicals can be blocked by antioxidants, which scavenge the free radicals and detoxify the organism. Plants and plant-derived products contain a wide range of phytochemicals, such as antioxidants, which are thought to have a protective role against the risk of oxidative stress-related diseases. Oxidative stress is an important contributor to the pathophysiology of a variety of pathological conditions such as arteriosclerosis, cancer, gastrointestinal tract disorders, rheumatism, diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular diseases, nephritis, neurodegenerative disease, and inflammatory injury. Recently, interest has considerably increased in finding naturally occurring antioxidants to replace synthetic antioxidants, which were restricted due to their adverse reactions such as carcinogenesis. Natural products have been the basis to treat some human diseases. There is emerging interest in the use of naturally occurring antioxidants for the management of a number of these pathophysiological conditions. Among the various natural sources, endemic medicinal plant species are of particular interest because they may be used for producing raw materials or preparations containing phytochemicals with significant antioxidant capacities and possible health benefits. Ziziphora Clinopodioides, known as Kakuti-e kuhi, Ankh, Lip vanilla, and mountain mint, is a wild flowering plant of Lamiaceae family. It is native to the parts of Iran and Iraq. In traditional medicine of Iran, this plant has been used to treat stomach and gastrointestinal pain, inflammatory, and cardiovascular disease, asthma, cough, bronchitis, insomnia, colds, flu, and other infectious diseases. In this paper, published antioxidant activities of Z. Clinopodioides were reviewed.