The Medicinal Species of the Lycium Genus (Goji Berries) in East Asia: A Review of Its Effect on Cell Signal Transduction Pathways

• Published in: Plants (Basel) Vol. 13; no. 11; p. 1531
• Main Authors: Jiang, Chenyu, Chen, Ziyu, Liao, Weilin, Zhang, Ren, Chen, Geer, Ma, Lijuan, Yu, Haijie
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 01.06.2024; MDPI
• Subjects: Aging; Aging (natural); Anthocyanin; Anthocyanins; Antioxidants; Apoptosis; B cells; Berries; Cancer; Cell cycle; Cellular signal transduction; Chemical composition; Chemical compounds; Chronic diseases; Comparative analysis; Composition; COVID-19; Cytokines; Diabetes; Drug development; Fatigue; Fertility; Fruits; goji berries; gut microbiota; Health aspects; Health promotion; Infertility; Inflammation; Ingredients; Intestinal microflora; Kinases; Ligands; Lycium; Lycium genus; Metabolic disorders; Microbiota; Microbiota (Symbiotic organisms); Natural & organic foods; Oxidative stress; Pharmaceuticals; pharmacological activity; Pharmacology; Physiological aspects; Proteins; Review; Reviews; signal pathway; Signal transduction; Tumor necrosis factor-TNF; East Asia; China; goji berries; pharmacological activity; signal pathway; Lycium genus; gut microbiota
• ISSN: 2223-7747; 2223-7747
• DOI: 10.3390/plants13111531

Natural plants contain numerous chemical compounds that are beneficial to human health. The berries from the Lycium genus are widely consumed and are highly nutritious. Moreover, their chemical constituents have attracted attention for their health-promoting properties. In East Asia, there are three varieties of the Lycium genus ( L., , and ) that possess medicinal value and are commonly used for treating chronic diseases and improving metabolic disorders. These varieties are locally referred to as "red Goji berries" or "black Goji berries" due to their distinct colors, and they differ in their chemical compositions, primarily in terms of carotenoid and anthocyanin content. The pharmacological functions of these berries include anti-aging, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-exercise fatigue effects. This review aims to analyze previous and recent studies on the active ingredients and pharmacological activities of these Lycium varieties, elucidating their signaling pathways and assessing their impact on the gut microbiota. Furthermore, the potential prospects for using these active ingredients in the treatment of COVID-19 are evaluated. This review explores the potential targets of these Lycium varieties in the treatment of relevant diseases, highlighting their potential value in drug development.