Abstract
The Quercus genus provides a large amount of biomaterial with many applications in fields like pharmaceutics, cosmetics, and foodstuff areas. Due to the worldwide dissemination of the genus, many species were used for centuries in traditional healing methods or in the wine maturing process. This review aims to bring together the results about phytoconstituents from oak extracts and their biological applicability as antioxidants, antimicrobial, anticancer, etc. The literature data used in this paper were collected via PubMed, Scopus, and Science Direct (2010–June 2020). The inclusion criteria were papers published in English, with information about phytoconstituents from Quercus species (leaves, bark and seeds/acorns) and biological activities such as antioxidant, antibacterial, antiobesity, anti-acne vulgaris, antifungal, anticancer, antiviral, antileishmanial, antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory. The exclusion criteria were the research of other parts of the Quercus species (e.g., galls, wood, and twigs); lack of information about phytochemistry and biological activities; non-existent Quercus species reported by the authors. The most studied Quercus species, in terms of identified biomolecules and biological activity, are Q. brantii, Q. infectoria and Q. robur. The Quercus species have been reported to contain several phytoconstituents. The main bioactive phytochemicals are phenolic compounds, volatile organic compounds, sterols, aliphatic alcohols and fatty acids. The, Quercus species are intensely studied due to their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and anticancer activities, provided by their phytochemical composition. The general conclusion is that oak extracts can be exploited for their biological activity and can be used in research fields, such as pharmaceutical, nutraceutical and medical.
Highlights
The Quercus genus is an evergreen or deciduous tree, belonging to the Fagaceae family
These compounds have been identified in acorns of Q. brantii, Q. floribunda, Q. glauca, Q. incana, Q. mongolica, Q. robur (Table 1)
Antioxidant activity; Antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella typhimurium, Escherichia coli, Micrococcus luteus and eight Meticilin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and strains shown by ethyl acetate extract
Summary
The Quercus genus is an evergreen or deciduous tree, belonging to the Fagaceae family. Large areas of oak forests (Europe, Asia, North Africa, North America, Central and South America), America), large amounts of forest waste (oak bark and leaves) resulting from wood processing, high large amounts of forest waste (oak bark and leaves) resulting from wood processing, high availability availability and their drought resistance make Quercus species important sources of bioactive and their drought resistance make sources of of bioactive compounds. TheQuercus diversityspecies of folk important uses and the richness phytochemicals foundIninthe same time, the diversity of folk uses and the richness of phytochemicals found in Quercus species make Quercus species make this genus interesting for assessing biological activities and toxicological thiseffects.
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