ABSTRACT
Over the years, extensive research on mustard oil has revealed the presence of isothiocyanates as pungent toxic compounds and erucic acids as possible health risks. Hence, strategies are needed to remove or reduce the isocyanates and erucic contents while processing the mustard oil. Conversely, due to the presence of monounsaturated fatty acids and omega-3 fatty acids, e.g., erucic acid and α-linolenic acid, mustard oil possesses hypolipidemic effect. The oil rich in erucic acid has demonstrated anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effect that may help in the prevention of obesity-induced metabolic disorders, melanoma, and the Parkinson’s disease. The hypolipidemic effects further potentiate the antidiabetic effect. The presence of allyl isothiocyanate has promising anticancer evidenced by the cell cycle arrest at the G2/M phase. Mustard oil chemical compounds showed antimicrobial action against several pathogenic microorganisms and proved to be useful for active antimicrobial packaging. A few of the studies also reported its antioxidant and antiviral activities. Studies confirmed that allyl isothiocyanate from mustard oil has anti-inflammatory potential when applied topically. The economically motivated adulteration of mustard oil with argemone needs further analytical investigation. Further consideration of the mustard oil benefits-risk ratio and mustard oil optimization are required to improve its health-boosting properties.
KEYWORDS: Erucic acid Anti-inflammatory, Antimicrobial, Cytotoxic, Antidiabetic, Antioxidant
2024 – Brazilian Journal of Pharmacognosy
doi.org/10.1007/s43450-023-00450-2