Phytochemical and Pharmacological Properties of Capparis spinosa as a Medicinal Plant

[Panciu Corina-Maria]

Phytochemical and Pharmacological Properties of Capparis spinosa as a Medicinal Plant . C. spinosa is one of the most important economical species in the Capparidaceae family which has a wide range of diversity (i.e., about 40–50 genera and 700–900 species) . Capparidaceae has been known to be closely related to the family of the Brassicaceae (Cruciferae) that is rich in glucosinolates and flavonoids . C. spinosa is also known as Caper, wild watermelon (in China) . Cappero (in Italy), Alaf-e-Mar (in Persian)  and Alcapparo (in Spain) . C. spinosa is a dicotyledonous perennial shrub which can grow up to 1 m high and has extensive root systems . It is native to the Mediterranean basin and widely distributed from Morroco to Crimea, Armernia, Iran . Several countries such as Greece, Italy, Spain and Turkey have widely produced C. spinosa.  C. spinosa which is an aromatic plant is usually cultivated in tropical and subtropical regions . The most common propagation of C. spinosa is vegetative cuttings . It can flourish under dry hot conditions in either well-drained or poor soils. Although many studies using various parts of C. spinosa have reported diverse pharmacological activities including anti-diabetic and anti-hypertensive, there is still no conclusive information regarding the association between C. spinosa and its health benefits. This is because only a very few studies that involved human subjects examined the effect of C. spinosa consumption on human health. C. spinosa has the potential to be used for the treatment of hypertension. In a study of spontaneously hypertensive rats. A study by Gadgoli and Mishra  evaluated the effects of C. spinosa on the antihepatotoxic on rats against paracetamol and carbontetrachloride induced toxicity in vivo.

The underlying mechanism influencing human health by the consumption of C. spinosa still remains unclear. The effect of short- and long-term consumption of C. spinosa on human health therefore needs to be further evaluated. Furthermore, the role of the gut microbiota in the degradation of polyphenolic compounds present in the plant has not been considered. This aspect should be put forward in the perspectives .