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Review
. 2023 Jan 26;12(3):565.
doi: 10.3390/plants12030565.

Cachrys L. Genus: A Comprehensive Review on Botany, Phytochemistry and Biological Properties

Vincenzo Musolino  1 , Maria Rosaria Perri  2 , Filomena Conforti  2 , Micaela Gliozzi  3 , Mariangela Marrelli  2 , Vincenzo Mollace  3
Affiliations
Review

Cachrys L. Genus: A Comprehensive Review on Botany, Phytochemistry and Biological Properties

Vincenzo Musolino et al. Plants (Basel). .

Abstract

The Cachrys L. genus belongs to the Apiaceae family and it is widely distributed in the Mediterranean basin, with plant species being endemic to southern Europe, Asia, and northern Africa. Different studies, focused on the phytochemical composition of Cachrys spp. and the biological properties of their phytocomplexes, have been reported. These works mostly focused on the essential oils obtained from these plants, and pointed out that Cachrys species are a rich source of coumarins, mainly furanocoumarins. Other phytochemicals, such as terpenes, fatty acids, phytosterols, and flavonoids have been also identified. Moreover, a number of biological properties such as antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, cytotoxic, and photocytotoxic effects have been assessed. Nevertheless, a review of the chemical and pharmacological properties of this genus is not available in the literature. The aim of this paper is to provide an overview of the reports concerning the identified phytochemicals and the biological effects reported for Cachrys spp., and to offer a comprehensive understanding of the potential of this genus as a source of bioactive compounds. The current taxonomy, the traditional uses, and the toxicological aspects of plants belonging to this genus are also reported, and the future research directions are discussed.

Keywords: Apiaceae; Cachrys; bioactive compounds; coumarins; essential oils; ethnobotany; photocytotoxicity; phytochemicals.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Selection process of the bibliographic sources based on a PRISMA 2020 flow diagram.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Distribution of authors by country of origin.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Bubble chart showing the number of papers focused on each Cachrys species in a specific period.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Biological properties reported for Cachrys spp. (a) Number of articles focusing on each reported biological activity. (b) Number of papers focusing on the biological properties of each species.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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