Allicin is phytochemical containing sulfur in the class of organosulfur compound, found abundantly in onion and garlic.
Health Benefits
1. Antibacterial activities
In the comparison of those of allicin
and several clinically useful antibiotics using two representative
bacteria commonly found in the human environment, Gram-positive S.
aureus and Gram-negative Escherichia coli, indicated that The garlic
extract had more potent anti-staphylococcal activity than an equal
amount of allicin. In terms of antibiotic potency against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, authentic allicin
had roughly 1-2% of the potency of streptomycin (vs. S. aureus), 8% of
that of vancomycin (vs. S. aureus), and only 0.2% of that of colistin
(vs. E. coli), according to "Antibacterial potential of garlic-derived allicin and its cancellation by sulfhydryl compounds" by Fujisawa H, Watanabe K, Suma K, Origuchi K, Matsufuji H, Seki T, Ariga T.(1)
2. Cognitive effects
In the assessment of the effects of allicin on endogenous antioxidant defenses in hippocampus of cognitively impaired aged mouse, showed that treatment of allicin
significantly ameliorated ageing-induced cognitive dysfunction through
enhancing of Nrf2 antioxidant signaling pathways. Therefore, allicin
could be recommended as a possible candidate for the prevention and
therapy of cognitive deficits in aging and Alzheimer's disease,
according to "Allicin
ameliorates cognitive deficits ageing-induced learning and memory
deficits through enhancing of Nrf2 antioxidant signaling pathways" by Li XH, Li CY, Lu JM, Tian RB, Wei J.(2)
3. Chronic Occupational Lead Poisoning
In
the investigation of the therapeutic effects of garlic and comparison
with d-penicillamine in patients with chronic lead poisoning, found that
garlic seems safer clinically and as effective as d-penicillamine.
Therefore, garlic can be recommended for the treatment of
mild-to-moderate lead poisoning, according to "Comparison
of Therapeutic Effects of Garlic and d-Penicillamine in Patients with
Chronic Occupational Lead Poisoning, according to " Kianoush S, Balali-Mood M, Mousavi SR, Moradi V, Sadeghi M, Dadpour B, Rajabi O, Shakeri MT.(3)
4. Free radical scavenger capacity
In
a theoretical study on the free radical scavenger capacity of
α-mangostin in Mangosteen and its monoanion is analyzed using the
density functional theory approximation, indicated that In
thermodynamics and kinetics, α-mangostin and its deprotonated form are
good free radical scavenger through the HAT mechanism, with the anionic
(deprotonated) form being more reactive than the neutral one. Their
capacity to scavenge OOH free radical is similar to that of carotenes,
higher than that of allicin,
much higher than that of melatonin and N-acetylcysteine amide, and
about 15 times lower than that of 2-propenesulfenic acid, according to "Free radical scavenger properties of α-mangostin: thermodynamics and kinetics of HAT and RAF mechanisms" by Martínez A, Galano A, Vargas R.(4)
5. Antimicrobial activity
Alliums
are inhibitory against all tested microorganisms such as bacteria,
fungi, viruses, and parasites. Alliums inhibit multi-drug-resistant
microorganisms and often work synergistically with common
antimicrobials. Allium-derived antimicrobial compounds inhibit
microorganisms by reacting with the sulfhydryl (SH) groups of cellular
proteins, according to "Antimicrobial properties of allium species" by Kyung KH.(5)
6. Murine T-lymphocytes (EL-4)
In the investigation of the anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic activities of allicin in murine T-lymphocytes (EL-4) and the mechanism of inducing apoptosis in vitro, found that allicin was effective in inhibiting the proliferation of EL-4 cells in vitro in a concentration-dependent manner. Further, allicin
could induce the formation of apoptotic bodies, nuclear condensation,
DNA spallation, and even activated the expression of caspase-3, -12 and
cytochrome C (cyt C). Finally, allicin up-regulated the ratio of Bax/Bcl-2 and induced a mitochondrion membrane potential (MMP) decrease. Allicin
induced apoptosis in EL-4 cells in a time- and concentration-dependent
manner, in which the mitochondrial pathway might play a central role,
according to "Allicin
induces apoptosis in EL-4 cells in vitro by activation of expression
of caspase-3 and -12 and up-regulation of the ratio of Bax/Bcl-2" by Wang Z, Liu Z, Cao Z, Li L.(6)
7. Anti tumor activities
The
combination treatments using chemotherapeutic agents with distinct
molecular mechanisms are considered more promising for higher efficacy;
however, using multiple agents contributes to added toxicity, in-vitro
and in-vivo studies in the last few decades, showed that some
phytochemicals derived from 'natural products' such as fruits,
vegetables and certain spices, referred to as chemopreventive agents,
including capsaicin, trans-anethole, thymoquinone, diosgenin, allicin,
can not only reduce the risk of acquiring specific cancer but also
have been shown to suppress cancer cell proliferation, inhibit growth
factor signaling pathways, induce apoptosis, inhibit nuclear factor-κB,
AP-1, Akt, MAPK, Wnt, Notch, p53, AR, ER, and JAK-STAT, etc.,
activation pathways, inhibit angiogenesis, suppress the expression of
antiapoptotic proteins, and inhibit cyclooxygenase-2, according to "Antitumor promoting potential of selected phytochemicals derived from spices: a review" by Rajput S, Mandal M.(7)
8. Antioxidants and anti cancers
In
the evaluation of the potential anticancer effects of different type
of processed garlic extracts on WEHI-164 tumor cells in inbred BALB/c
mice and correlate the tumor growth rates with some garlic
constituents, showed that three weeks following tumor inoculation, the
mean tumor size in garlic extract-treated groups was reduced with
significant reductions observed in the fresh and microwaved extract
groups compared with the control group (P<.05). The antioxidant
capacity and the amounts of allicin,
flavonoids, and phenolic compounds in differentially processed garlic
were evaluated and correlated with their anticancer activities,
according to "Correlation between antioxidant activity of garlic extracts and WEHI-164 fibrosarcoma tumor growth in BALB/c mice" by Shirzad H, Taji F, Rafieian-Kopaei M.(8)
9. Dental caries and periodontitis
In the testing the antimicrobial activity of garlic allicin
on oral pathogens associated with dental caries and periodontitis,
found that the result support the traditional medicinal use of garlic
and suggest the use of allicin for alleviating dental diseases, according to "Garlic allicin as a potential agent for controlling oral pathogens" by Bachrach G, Jamil A, Naor R, Tal G, Ludmer Z, Steinberg D.(9)
10. Prevention and treatment of the common cold
In
the review the evidence supporting complementary and alternative
medicine approaches to treatment and prevention of the common cold in
adults, indicated that for prevention, vitamin C demonstrated benefit in
a large meta-analysis, with possibly increased benefit in patients
subjected to cold stress. There is inconsistent evidence for Asian
ginseng (Panax ginseng) and North American ginseng (Panax
quinquefolius). Allicin
was highly effective in 1 small trial. For treatment, Echinacea
purpurea is the most consistently useful variety; it was effective in 5
of 6 trials. Zinc lozenges were effective in 5 of 9 trials, likely
owing to dose and formulation issues. Overall, the evidence suggests no
benefit from probiotics for prevention or treatment of the common
cold, according to "Complementary and alternative medicine for prevention and treatment of the common cold" by Nahas R, Balla A.(10)
11. Neuroprotective diseases
In
the investigation of the neuroproyective effects of (1) flavonoid
polyphenols like epigallocatechin 3-gallate (EGCG) from green tea and
quercetin from apples; (2) non-flavonoid polyphenols such as curcumin
from tumeric and resveratrol from grapes; (3) phenolic acids or
phenolic diterpenes such as rosmarinic acid or carnosic acid,
respectively, both from rosemary; and (4) organosulfur compounds
including the isothiocyanate, L-sulforaphane, from broccoli and the
thiosulfonate allicin,
from garlic, indicated that alternative mechanisms of action have also
been suggested for the neuroprotective effects of these compounds such
as modulation of signal transduction cascades or effects on gene
expression. Here, we review the literature pertaining to these various
classes of nutraceutical antioxidants and discuss their potential
therapeutic value in neurodegenerative diseases, according to "Nutraceutical antioxidants as novel neuroprotective agents" by Kelsey NA, Wilkins HM, Linseman DA.(11)
12. Etc.
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Sources
(1) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19734685
(2) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22390900
(3) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22151785
(4) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21936544
(5) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21903379
(6) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21902562
(7) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21876437
(8) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21812650
(9) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21548800
(10) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21322286
(11) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21060289
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