Abstract

Background: Cornus mas L. is a small tree of the Cornaceae plant family, widely spread in South Eastern Europe and Asia. The fruits of Cornus mas L. have been reported to possess anti-inflammatory, cardioand hepatoprotective, cytotoxic, antibacterial, antigenotoxic and diuretic effects. A high number of bioactive compounds have been identified in Cornus mas fruits, among which flavonoids exert favorable health effects especially by acting as potent antioxidants.

Method: The main step in the isolation of flavonoids from vegetal matrices is extraction. Apart the usually applied methods of organic compounds characterization like mass spectrometry (MS), ultraviolet and visible (UV-Vis) and infrared (IR) spectroscopy, the advanced analytical techniques such as high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) are reliable tools in flavonoids structure determination.

Conclusion: This review focuses on the recent published studies regarding the extraction, characterization and biological activities of flavonoids isolated from these fruits in order to understand their high potential as a source of bioactive compounds and their importance in developing new pharmacological products.

Keywords: Cornus mas, Cornelian cherries, flavonoids, extraction, chalcone synthase, biological activity.

Graphical Abstract