AUTHOR=El-Saadony Mohamed T. , Saad Ahmed M. , Korma Sameh A. , Salem Heba M. , Abd El-Mageed Taia A. , Alkafaas Samar Sami , Elsalahaty Mohamed I. , Elkafas Sara Samy , Mosa Walid F. A. , Ahmed Ahmed Ezzat , Mathew Betty T. , Albastaki Noor A. , Alkuwaiti Aysha A. , El-Tarabily Marawan K. , AbuQamar Synan F. , El-Tarabily Khaled A. , Ibrahim Salam A. TITLE=Garlic bioactive substances and their therapeutic applications for improving human health: a comprehensive review JOURNAL=Frontiers in Immunology VOLUME=15 YEAR=2024 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/immunology/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2024.1277074 DOI=10.3389/fimmu.2024.1277074 ISSN=1664-3224 ABSTRACT=

Garlic (Allium sativum L.) is a widely abundant spice, known for its aroma and pungent flavor. It contains several bioactive compounds and offers a wide range of health benefits to humans, including those pertaining to nutrition, physiology, and medicine. Therefore, garlic is considered as one of the most effective disease-preventive diets. Many in vitro and in vivo studies have reported the sulfur-containing compounds, allicin and ajoene, for their effective anticancer, anti-diabetic, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antimicrobial, immune-boosting, and cardioprotective properties. As a rich natural source of bioactive compounds, including polysaccharides, saponins, tannins, linalool, geraniol, phellandrene, β-phellandrene, ajoene, alliin, S-allyl-mercapto cysteine, and β-phellandrene, garlic has many therapeutic applications and may play a role in drug development against various human diseases. In the current review, garlic and its major bioactive components along with their biological function and mechanisms of action for their role in disease prevention and therapy are discussed.