Heart and blood vessels disorders comprise one of the main causes of death worldwide. Pharmacologically active natural compounds have been used as a complementary therapy in cardiovascular disease around the world in a traditional way. Dietary, natural bioactive compounds, as well as healthy lifestyles, are considered to prevent coronary artery diseases. Pre-clinical and clinical studies reported that consumption of plant-food bioactive derivatives including polyphenolic compounds, peptides, oligosaccharides, vitamins, unsaturated fatty acids possess protective effects on cardiovascular diseases. This review aims to summarize the cardiovascular risk factors, pre-clinical studies and clinical trials related to cardioprotective properties of the plant-food-derived bioactive compounds. Molecular mechanisms by the natural bioactive compounds exert their cardiovascular protective properties have also been highlighted.

Symphytum species belongs to the Boraginaceae family and have been used for centuries for bone breakages, sprains and rheumatism, liver problems, gastritis, ulcers, skin problems, joint pain and contusions, wounds, gout, hematomas and thrombophlebitis. Considering the innumerable potentialities of the Symphytum species and their widespread use in the world, it is extremely important to provide data compiling the available literature to identify the areas of intense research and the main gaps in order to design future studies. The present review aims at summarizing the main data on the therapeutic indications of the Symphytum species based on the current evidence, also emphasizing data on both the efficacy and adverse effects. The present review was carried out by consulting PubMed (Medline), Web of Science, Embase, Scopus, Cochrane Database, Science Direct and Google Scholar (as a search engine) databases to retrieve the most updated articles on this topic. All articles were carefully analyzed by the authors to assess their strengths and weaknesses, and to select the most useful ones for the purpose of review, prioritizing articles published from 1956 to 2018. The pharmacological effects of the Symphytum species are attributed to several chemical compounds, among them allantoin, phenolic compounds, glycopeptides, polysaccharides and some toxic pyrrolizidine alkaloids. Not less important to highlight are the risks associated with its use. In fact, there is increasing consumption of over-the-counter drugs, which when associated with conventional drugs can cause serious and even fatal adverse events. Although clinical trials sustain the folk topical application of Symphytum species in musculoskeletal and blunt injuries, with minor adverse effects, its antimicrobial potency was still poorly investigated. Further studies are needed to assess the antimicrobial spectrum of Symphytum species and to characterize the active molecules both in vitro and in vivo.

The Lavandula genus, belonging to the Lamiaceae, includes 39 species, with nearly 400 registered cultivars. Lavandula are worldwide plants that occur over the Mediterranean, Europe, North Africa, southwest Asia to southeast India. Lavandula plants have been used since ancient time to flavor and preserved food, to treat diseases including wound healing, sedative, antispasmodic, microbial and viral infections. Numerous researches have described the chemical composition and the primary components of lavender oils are the monoterpenoids (linalool, linalyl acetate, 1,8-cineole, β-ocimene, terpinen-4-ol, and camphor), sesquiterpenoids (β-caryophyllene and nerolidol) and other terpenoid compounds (e.g., perillyl alcohol). The high concentrations of linalyl acetate make them attractive in perfumery, flavoring, cosmetics and soap industries. Currently, data on the antimicrobial activity of lavender plants have been scientifically confirmed. Indeed, lavender essential oils possess wide spectra of biological activities such as antispasmodic, carminative, analgesic, sedative, hypotensive, antiseptic, antimicrobial, antifungal, antidiuretic and general tonic action. In addition, clinical studies support their uses as treatment of health conditions. However, further clinical studies are necessary to define the magnitude of the efficacy, mechanisms of action, optimal doses, long-term safety, and, potential side effects of lavender plants.

Spray drying is a well-established, energy efficient, and scalable process widely used in the food industry, however it may lead to thermal degradation of susceptible compounds, such as (poly)phenols, resulting in biological activity loss to some extent. In this study, we aimed to improve the physicochemical stability and bioaccessibility of (poly)phenols from Rosa pimpinellifolia fruit extract (Rosa extract) loaded in liposomes by generating solid particles via spray drying. Liposomes were conjugated with chitosan (Ch) and whey protein (Wp) to optimize the biopolymer concentrations by monitoring mean particle diameter, polydispersity index, and surface charge. The mean diameter of liposomes ranged between 135 and 210 nm upon optimal addition of Ch (0.4%, w/v) and Wp (4.0%, w/v) which also increased the entrapment efficiency of (poly)phenols from 74.2 to 77.8% and 79.1%, respectively. After spray drying, about 65–76% of the antioxidant capacity were retained in biopolymer-conjugated liposomes (Ch or Wp) while the retention rate was 48% in only spray-dried extract (Rosa extract powder). Compared to unencapsulated Rosa extract, spray drying (Rosa extract powder) and conjugation with Ch (Ch-Lip powder) or Wp (Wp-Lip powder) significantly increased the bioaccessibility of (poly)phenols and preserved their antioxidant capacity. Based on the findings of this study, Ch- or Wp-conjugation of liposomes prior to spray drying could improve physicochemical stability and protect (poly)phenols loaded in liposomes against processing stress and passage through the digestive tract. Further in vitro and in vivo investigations on a variety of bioactive compounds may draw more attention to their potential as functional foods.