Bioactive ingredients of rose hips (Rosa canina L) with special reference to antioxidative and anti-inflammatory properties: in vitro studies

Figures & data

Figure 1 The ripe pseudo fruits, “rose hips”, of Rosa canina. Rose hips are the aggregate fruits of rose plants, composed of enlarged, fleshy, red floral cups, enclosing multiple dry fruitlets (the thin membranes surrounding the individual seeds).

Note: Broadly, rose hips are often alluded to as the “fruits” of R. canina in medicinal literature.

Figure 2 Simplified botanical anatomy of a rose hip, showing its major components.

Notes: The rose hip shell, the red fleshy pulp, is called the hypanthium, and is in fact not part of the botanical fruit. The botanical fruits of rose hip are the achenes, the thin membranes surrounding the individual rose hip seeds. The aggregate fruit, the entire rose hip, is called a “pseudo fruit”.

Table 1 Documented historical therapeutic uses for Rosa canina

Plant part used	Therapy type	Symptoms and diseases treated
Roots	Internal use	Anal hemorrhoids, dysuria, *cough, *rheumatism^Citation14,Citation15
Leaves	Internal use	*Colds, flu, *cough, itching, *eczema^Citation14
Branches	Internal use	Kidney stones^Citation15
	External use	Eczema^Citation15
Fruits (shells)	Internal use	*Colds, flu, *cough, *bronchitis, asthma, *infection, immunologic nephritis, gallbladder diseases, *burns, vitamin C deficiency, colic, *lower urinary tract disorders, as a diuretic and for *arthritis and *rheumatic disorders; for eyewash, diarrhea, and as prophylaxis for *intestinal catarrhs, as a laxative, for diabetes and inadequate peripheral circulation^Citation14^–^Citation16
(seeds)		For the kidneys and lower urinary tract, as a diuretic, for *osteoarthritis, *rheumatism, *gout, and sciatica; for *colds and for *diseases with fever, for blood purification as an astringent, as a laxative, and for vitamin C deficiency^Citation16
	External use	*Rheumatism, hemorrhoids, *diarrhea, cardiac disorders, hypoglycemia and *infection^Citation15

Notes: Roots, leaves, and branches have been used in folk medicine since ancient times. Most research today is based on seeds and shells from the rose hips. *Inflammatory disease.

Figure 3 Separated seeds and shells from the hips of Rosa canina.

Note: Commercial rose hip products contain these structures in varying degrees; some contain only shells.

Table 2 A variety of known compounds of Rosa canina with bioactive properties

Compound type	Compound name	Systematic nomenclature and lipid number^*
Triterpene acid	Ursolic acid^Citation18 Oleanolic acid^Citation18 Betulinic acid^Citation18
FAs	Lauric acid^Citation19,Citation20	Dodecanoic acid (C 12:0)
	Myristic acid^Citation20,Citation21	Tetradecanoid acid (C 14:0)
	Palmitic acid^Citation19^–^Citation21	Hexadecanoic acid (C 16:0)
	Palmitoletic acid^Citation20,Citation21	(C 16:1 ω-7)
	Stearic acid^Citation20,Citation21	Octadecanoic acid (C 18:0)
	Oleic acid^Citation20,Citation21	(C 18:1 ω-9)
	Linoleic acid^Citation19^–^Citation21	All-cis-9, 12-octadecadienoic acid (cis-C 18:2 ω-6)
	α-Linolenic acid^Citation19,Citation20	All-cis-9, 12, 15-octadecatrienoic acid (cis-C 18:3 ω-3)
	Arachidic acid^Citation19,Citation20	Eicosanoic acid (C 20:0)
	Behenic acid^Citation20	Docosanoic acid (C 22:0)
	Docosadienoic	All-cis- 13, 16-docosadienoic acid
	acid^Citation19	(cis-C 22:2 ω-6)
Galactolipids	GOPO^Citation5	(2S)- 1, 2-di-O-[(9Z, 12Z, 15Z)- octadeca-9-12-15trienoyl]-3-O-β-D-galactopyranosyl glycerol

Note:

* Lipid number only given for lipids.

Abbreviations: GOPO, (2S)-1,2-di-O-[(9Z,12Z,15Z)-octadeca-9-12-15-trienoyl]-3-O-β-d-galactopyranosyl glycerol; FAs, fatty acids.

Table 3 The function of vitamins and deficiency-related diseases

Vitamin	Function	Deficiency
A#	Roles in vision, growth, and reproduction	Night blindness, corneal damage, damage to respiratory and gastrointestinal tracts
B	Coenzymes	Beriberi, cheilosis, and angular stomatitis; dermatitis, depression, confusion, convulsion, diarrhea, hypertension, rash about the eyebrows, muscle pain, fatigue (rare), anemia, pernicious anemia, methylmalonic acidosis
C	Antioxidant	Scurvy
D	Regulation of calcium and phosphate metabolism	Rickets, skeletal deformities, impaired growth, osteoporosis, osteomalacia
E	Antioxidant	Inhibition of sperm production, lesions in muscles ad nerves (rare)
K	Blood coagulation	Subdermal hemorrhaging

Note:

# Rosa canina does not contain vitamin A, but carotenoids from R. canina are vitamin A precursors.

Table 4 Different flavonoids present in Rosa canina

Flavonoid name	Seeds	Shells
Hyperoside	0.15±0.07 (0.05–0.31)	0.08±0.02 (0.03–0.12)
Tiliroside	0.07±0.03 (0.02–0.13)	0.00
Rutin	0.03±0.01 (0.00–0.06)	0.01 ±0.00 (0.00–0.01)
Quercetin	0.04±0.02 (0.01–0.09)	0.04±0.01 (0.02–0.06)
Catechin	0.19±0.06 (0.09–0.29)	0.39±0.19 (0.21–0.82)
Astragalin	0.04±0.02 (0.02–0.08)	0.05±0.04 (0.01–0.12)
Total sum of flavonoids	0.52±0.10 (0.32–0.68)	0.56±0.21 (0.33–0.99)

Notes: Some flavonoids are very abundant in seeds and others are more abundant in the shells, while some are equally represented in both seeds and shells. Data are represented as means of ten different powders (mg/g dry weight).

Adapted from Fecka, Qualitative and quantitative determination of hydrolysable tannins and other polyphenols in herbal products from meadowsweet and dog rose. Phytochem Anal. 2009;20:177–190. John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.⁴⁹

Figure 4 The molecular structures of tiliroside (A) and hyperoside (B).

Figure 5 The content of the galactolipid GOPO in different commercially available rose hip products.

Note: Data from DB Lab A/S, Odense, Denmark.
Abbreviation: GOPO, (2S)-1,2-di-O-[(9Z,12Z,15Z)-octadeca-9-12-15-trienoyl]-3-O-β-d-galactopyranosyl glycerol.

Figure 6 Rose hip powders with different constituents and drying temperatures.

Notes: Powder from a seed and shell product that has not been heated to >40°C during the drying process (A), compared to powder from a product mainly based on shells, which has been dried at a higher temperature (B).

Figure 7 The molecular structure of the galactolipid GOPO.

Abbreviation: GOPO, (2S)-1,2-di-O-[(9Z,12Z,15Z)-octadeca-9-12-15-trienoyl]-3-O-β-d-galactopyranosyl glycerol.

Kültür S. Medicinal plants used in Kirklareli Province (Turkey). J Ethnopharmacol. 2007;111:341–364.

 PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar

Yeşilada E, Ustün O, Sezik E, Takaishi Y, Ono Y, Honda G. Inhibitory effects of Turkish folk remedies on inflammatory cytokines: interleukin-1 alpha, interleukin-1 beta and tumor necrosis factor alpha. J Ethnopharmacol. 1997;58:59–73.

 PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar

Blumenthal M, Busse WR, Goldberg A, et al. The Complete German Commission E Monographs: Therapeutic Guide to Herbal Medicines. 1st ed. Riggins C, editor. Elsevier Health Sciences. Austin (TX): American Botanical Council; 1990.

 Google Scholar

Saaby L, Jäger AK, Moesby L, Hansen EW, Christensen SB. Isolation of immunomodulatory triterpene acids from a standardized rosehip powder (Rosa canina L.). Phytotherapy Res. 2011;25:195–201.

 PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar

Ercisli S. Chemical composition of fruit in some rose (Rosa ssp.) species. Food Chem. 2007;104:1379–1384.

 Web of Science ®Google Scholar

Zlatanov MD. Lipid composition of Bulgarian chokeberry, black current and rose hip seed oils. J Sci Food Agric. 1999;79:1620–1624.

 Web of Science ®Google Scholar

Ozcan M. Nutrient composition of rose (Rosa canina L.) seed and oils. J Med Food. 2002;5(3):137–140.

 PubMedGoogle Scholar

Larsen E, Kharazmi A, Christensen LP, Christensen SB. An antiinflammatory galactolipid from rose hip (Rosa canina) that inhibits chemotaxis of human peripheral blood neutrophils in vitro. J Nat Prod. 2003;7:994–995.

 Google Scholar

Fecka I. Qualitative and quantitative determination of hydrolysable tannins and other polyphenols in herbal products from meadowsweet and dog rose. Phytochem Anal. 2009;20:177–190.

 PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar