Research Progress and Prospect Analysis of the Application of Flax Lignans

ABSTRACT

Lignan is one of the important components in flaxseed and has been paid increasing attention owing to its special therapeutic effects on many diseases. Herein, we retrieved the recently published studies on flaxseed lignan through the Web of Science to give a comprehensive understanding of the research advances of flaxseed lignan. Results showed that flaxseed lignan has been extensively applied to many industries, such as food, medicine, and cosmetics. Flaxseed lignan has great potential in the pharmaceuticals industry, many studies have proven its performance on antioxidant, anti-tumor, anti-cardiovascular disease, prevention of osteoporosis and diabetes. However, the depths of the research need to be enhanced and the mechanisms of lignan in curing each disease should be further clarified. Flaxseed lignan presents good performance in anti-skin sagging, maintains skin elasticity and radiance, and significantly delays the aging process. In addition, flaxseed lignan has been used in functional foods and dietary supplements in the food industry. Therefore, as a multiuse material, flaxseed lignan will play important roles in the product and development and utilization of food, medicine, and cosmetic and, accordingly, its source plant——flax, will also receive more attention in the future.

摘要

木脂素是亚麻籽中的重要成分之一, 由于其对许多疾病的特殊治疗作用而受到越来越多的关注。本文通过 Web of Science 检索了近期发表的关于亚麻籽木脂素的研究, 以期全面了解亚麻籽木脂素的研究进展。结果表明, 亚麻籽木脂素已广泛应用于食品、医药、化妆品等多个行业。亚麻籽木脂素在制药工业中具有巨大的潜力, 许多研究证明了其在抗氧化、抗肿瘤、抗心血管疾病、预防骨质疏松症和糖尿病方面的性能。然而, 研究的深度有待加强, 木脂素治疗各种疾病的机制有待进一步阐明。亚麻籽木脂素在抗皮肤松弛方面表现出良好的性能, 保持皮肤弹性和光泽, 并显著延缓衰老过程。此外, 亚麻籽木脂素已被用于食品工业中的功能性食品和膳食补充剂。因此, 作为一种多用途材料, 亚麻籽木脂素将在食品、医药和化妆品行业发挥重要作用, 其来源植物亚麻也将在未来受到更多关注。

KEYWORDS:

• Medical
• lignans
• cancer
• food
• cosmetics

关键词:

• 医学的
• 木脂素
• 癌症
• 食物
• 化妆品

Acknowledgments

This research was supported by the Institute of Bast Crops, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, the National Modern Agricultural Industrial Technology System (CARS-16), and the Agricultural Science and Technology Innovation Program (ASTIP-IBFC).

Disclosure statement

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Author contribution

Qiu Caisheng and Zhao Xinlin conceived and designed the article. Li Yazhi and Zhao Xinlin wrote the first draft, and Qiu Caisheng, Zhao Xinlin, Li Yazhi and Wang Yufu edited and revised the manuscript.

Highlights

• Flax lignans are effective for various incurable diseases such as diabetes.

• The therapeutic mechanism of flax lignans still needs to be further studied.

• The medicinal value of lignans can be used as a basis for the development of food and health products.

• The addition of flax lignans, a natural active substance, makes the cosmetic effect mild.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Supported by the earmarked fund for CARS [CARS-16].