Recent development in biological activities and safety concerns of perillaldehyde from perilla plants: A review

Abstract

Monoterpene Perillaldehyde (PAE) is a major component of the essential oil extracted from perilla plants (Perilla frutescens), which has been used as a leafy vegetable and a medicinal agent. PAE has gained a lot of attention in recent years because of its antifungal and other microbial activities and, human health benefits. PAE has also been used as food additives, perfume ingredients, and traditional medicine concoctions. Biological analyses of PAE have revealed that it has good antioxidant activities and can serve as organic fruit and food preservative. Animal studies indicated potent anticancer, anti-depressant, and anti-inflammatory effects of PAE. Also, PAE is certified “generally recognized as safe” (GRAS) and not mutagenic. However, moderation during usage is advisable, as minor adverse effects are associated with a very high dosage. Despite the newly reported findings, its properties have not been thoroughly summarized and reviewed. Also, clinical trials and official large-scale field applications of PAE in the agricultural sectors are yet to be reported. In this review, updated PAE research progress was provided, focusing on its antifungal and other antimicrobial properties and the mechanisms behind it, phytochemical profile, pharmacological effects, and safety concerns.

Highlights

• Isolation and recovery techniques of PAE from perilla plants have been developed and improved in recent years.

• PAE is a potential anti-oxidant and antifungal agent that can be widely used in the food industry.

• PAE can be developed into drug ingredients for pharmaceutical industries due to its anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer and anti-depressant activities.

• PAE can be safely used in human when low and moderate dosage is used.

Keywords:

• Perillaldehyde
• antifungal
• food preservation
• safety concern
• pharmaceutical

Conflicts of interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Author contributions

Famous Erhunmwunsee prepared and wrote the manuscript. Chao Pan, Kunlong Yang and Yongxin Li assembled all previous research articles on this topic and compiled all data. Man Liu, and Jun Tian corrected, revised, and improved the manuscript.

Additional information

Funding

This research was funded by National Natural Science Foundation of China (31972171, 31671944), Six Talent Peaks Project of Jiangsu Province (SWYY-026), Qing Lan Project of Jiangsu Province, Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province (BK20181006), and the PAPD of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions. Thanks for the scholarship from the China Scholarship Council (CSC).