BIOACTIVITY OF MORUS ALBA L. EXTRACTS-AN OVERVIEW

Recently white mulberry has attracted a lot of interest as source of bioactive constituents used in phytopharmacy and in functional food formulation. In practice, active compounds are separated from plant material by extraction process using different solvents and extraction conditions. The most commonly solvents used for extraction are water, ethanol, methanol, acetone, ether and their mixtures. The extraction yield can be improved by the use of high temperature, high pressure, pulse electric field, sonication and microwave treatment. The effects of solvent concentration, solvent/plant material ratio, extraction temperature and extraction time are here discussed. This review intends to summarize and discuss the biological activities of mulberry extracts with regards to prevention and treatment of civilization diseases. The effect of phenolic compounds, flavonoids, anthocyanins, glycosides, terpenoides, enzyme inhibitors and other substances on human health are presented. The mechanisms of anticancer, anti-inflammatory, anti-obesity, anti-microbial, and antidiabetic effects are here discussed. It has also showed the protective effect of active compounds isolated from white mulberry on cardio-vascular and neurodegenerative diseases.