Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2016, 17(11), 1875; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms17111875
Functional Components of Carob Fruit: Linking the Chemical and Biological Space
Vlasios Goulas 1, Evgenios Stylos 2,3, Maria V. Chatziathanasiadou 2, Thomas Mavromoustakos 4
and Andreas G. Tzakos 2,*
and Andreas G. Tzakos 2,*
1
Department of Agricultural Sciences, Biotechnology and Food Science, Cyprus University of Technology, Lemesos 3603, Cyprus
2
Section of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Department of Chemistry, University of Ioannina, 45110 Ioannina, Greece
3
Biotechnology Laboratory, Department of Biological Applications and Technologies, University of Ioannina, 45110 Ioannina, Greece
4
Laboratory of Organic Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11571 Athens, Greece
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Academic Editors: Chang Won Choi and David Arráez-Román
Received: 3 August 2016 / Revised: 21 October 2016 / Accepted: 4 November 2016 / Published: 10 November 2016
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Mechanism of Action of Food Components in Disease Prevention)
Abstract
The contribution of natural products to the drug-discovery pipeline has been remarkable since they have served as a rich source for drug development and discovery. Natural products have adapted, during the course of evolution, optimum chemical scaffolds against a wide variety of diseases, including cancer and diabetes. Advances in high-throughput screening assays, assisted by the continuous development on the instrumentation’s capabilities and omics, have resulted in charting a large chemical and biological space of drug-like compounds, originating from natural sources. Herein, we attempt to integrate the information on the chemical composition and the associated biological impact of carob fruit in regards to human health. The beneficial and health-promoting effects of carob along with the clinical trials and the drug formulations derived from carob’s natural components are presented in this review. View Full-TextKeywords:
carob; locust bean gum; fiber; polyphenols; tannins; hyperlipidemia; diabetes; cancer; diarrhea; omics
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Goulas, V.; Stylos, E.; Chatziathanasiadou, M.V.; Mavromoustakos, T.; Tzakos, A.G. Functional Components of Carob Fruit: Linking the Chemical and Biological Space. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2016, 17, 1875.
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