Phytochemicals of Artemisia absinthium: Natural Antioxidant, Anticancer Agents, and its Characterizations

Abstract

Artemisia absinthium L. (wormwood) is rich in bioactive constituents—including monoterpenes, sesquiterpene lactones, flavonoids, and phenolic acids—that underpin documented antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer activities. Growing interest in plant-derived therapeutics has intensified the need for systematic evaluation of extraction strategies that maximize yield, stability, and bioactivity of these compounds. This review synthesizes current evidence on conventional and advanced extraction methods applied to Artemisia absinthium (A. absinthium) and relates the resulting phytochemical profiles to biological effects, with emphasis on antioxidant and anticancer outcomes. Additionally, it explores the integration of standardized wormwood extracts into modern controlled-release systems such as polymeric nanoparticles, liposomes, and nanoemulsions to enhance solubility, bioavailability, targeting precision, and therapeutic index. By bridging traditional uses with contemporary pharmaceutical technologies, this review highlights opportunities for method optimization, extract standardization, and rational formulation design, and outlines key research gaps to accelerate translation of A. absinthium into evidence-based drug delivery applications.

Keywords

• Artemisia Absinthium
• wormwood
• extraction methods
• phenolic compounds
• antioxidant activity
• anticancer activity
• controlled drug delivery
• nanoparticles
• nanoemulsions

Artemisia absinthium’un Fitokimyasalları: Doğal Antioksidan, Antikanser Ajanlar ve Karakterizasyonları

Abstract

Artemisia absinthium L. (pelin otu), monoterpenler, seskiterpen laktonlar, flavonoidler ve fenolik asitler gibi biyoaktif bileşenler bakımından zengindir. Bu bileşikler, belgelenmiş antioksidan, antimikrobiyal, antienflamatuvar ve antikanser aktivitelerin temelini oluşturmaktadır. Bitki kaynaklı tedavilere yönelik artan ilgi, bu bileşiklerin verimini, stabilitesini ve biyolojik aktivitesini en üst düzeye çıkaracak ekstraksiyon stratejilerinin sistematik olarak değerlendirilmesi gerekliliğini artırmıştır. Bu derleme, Artemisia absinthium (A. absinthium) üzerine uygulanan geleneksel ve ileri ekstraksiyon yöntemlerine ilişkin mevcut kanıtları sentezlemekte ve ortaya çıkan fitokimyasal profilleri biyolojik etkilerle ilişkilendirmektedir. Özellikle antioksidan ve antikanser sonuçlara vurgu yapılmaktadır. Ayrıca, standartlaştırılmış pelin otu ekstraktlarının çözünürlüğünü, biyoyararlanımını, hedefleme hassasiyetini ve terapötik indeksini artırmak amacıyla polimerik nanoparçacıklar, lipozomlar ve nanoemülsiyonlar gibi modern kontrollü salım sistemlerine entegrasyonu da incelenmektedir. Geleneksel kullanımları çağdaş farmasötik teknolojilerle birleştiren bu derleme; yöntem optimizasyonu, ekstrakt standardizasyonu ve rasyonel formülasyon tasarımı için fırsatları vurgulamakta, ayrıca A. absinthium’un kanıta dayalı ilaç taşıma uygulamalarına dönüştürülmesini hızlandırmak için temel araştırma boşluklarını ortaya koymaktadır.

Keywords

• Artemisia absinthium
• Pelin otu
• Ekstraksiyon yöntemleri
• Fenolik bileşikler
• Antioksidan aktivite
• Antikanser aktivite
• Kontrollü ilaç salımı
• Nanoparçacıklar
• Nanoemülsiyonlar

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