Medicinal Importance and Therapeutic Benefit of Bioactive Flavonoid Eriocitrin: An Update on Pharmacological Activity and Analytical Aspects

Background: Polyphenols are micronutrients and an important class of secondary metabolites that are naturally present in various types of plants and their derived byproducts. Humans obtain polyphenols and phytochemicals from different vegetables, fruits, spices, and teas. More than 8,000 different types of polyphenols have been isolated from different natural sources. Polyphenols play an important role in the plants’ resistance against pests and diseases. Plants from citrus class contain flavonoids, carotenoids, and ascorbic acid. Eriocitrin is a flavanone glycoside present in lemon juice and other citrus plants. Methods: Scientific research data on eriocitrin have been collected from Google, Google Scholar, Pub- Med, and Scopus databases, and analyzed in the present paper to determine the biological importance of eriocitrin in medicine. The medicinal importance and therapeutic benefit of eriocitrin in medicine have been investigated through literature data analysis of various research works. Pharmacological activity data have been thoroughly collected in the present work and analyzed in order to assess the health-beneficial aspects of eriocitrin against human disorders. Results: Scientific database analysis has revealed the medicinal importance and therapeutic benefit of eriocitrin in medicine. Scientific data analysis has revealed the anti-inflammatory, anti-nociceptive, and anti-obesity activities of eriocitrin. Further scientific data analysis has revealed the biological effect of eriocitrin on osteoarthritis, hepatocellular carcinoma, oral carcinogenesis, hepatic steatosis, oxidative damage, and different types of enzymes. In addition, eriocitrin has also been reported to exert potent antioxidant and suppressive effects on oxidative stress. Scientific data analysis has also revealed the significance of analytical techniques for the separation, isolation, and identification of eriocitrin. Conclusion: The present work indicates the biological importance of eriocitrin in medicine and other allied health sectors.