Chinese olive is recognized as a medicinal food by the National Health Commission of China. As a fresh fruit, its flavor profile is shaped by a variety of compounds such as flavonoids, polyphenols, amino acids, cellulose, pectin, terpenes, sugar, and acid, which contribute to its bitterness, sweet aftertaste, texture, and aroma. External factors like soil types, cultivation methods, harvest time, and storage conditions also affect its eating quality. As a traditional Chinese medicinal material, it exhibits various pharmacological activities including anti-alcohol and hepatoprotective, antioxidant, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, anti-aging, blood sugar- and lipid-lowering, and gut microbiota-regulating effects owing to its bioactive components such as flavonoids, polyphenols, polysaccharides, and lipids. The formation of the flavor and medicinal efficacy of Chinese olive is both interrelated and contradictory with each other. From the perspective of its dual uses as medicine and food, the current status of research on the eating quality and pharmacological activities of Chinese olive is reviewed, and an integrative framework that combines breeding strategies, component identification, efficacy exploration, and quality improvement is proposed to provide theoretical guidance for future development and utilization of the flavor and medicinal efficacy of Chinese olive.
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Review
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Open Access
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To explore the potential biological activity of flavonoid components in Chinese olive (Canarium album Raeusch.), and the differences in flavonoid components among different germplasm resources of Chinese olive.
The bioactive flavonoid components were identified using network pharmacology and molecular docking analysis, and the accumulation levels of flavonoid components in the germplasm resources were studied by metabolomics.
A total of 44 flavonoid components were identified, and 18 potential bioactive flavonoids and 180 targets for them were selected through the TCMSP database, drug-likeness and oral bioavailability. Luteolin, quercetin, catechin and epicatechin were found to be important components that could potentially affect the pharmacological activity of Chinese olive. The 35 key targets identified based on the connectivity between flavonoid components and their targets were enriched in 348 Gene Ontology (GO) terms and 136 Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) signal pathways, involving pharmacological activities such as anticancer, antiviral, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory function, blood glucose regulation, and liver protection. Through molecular docking and visual analysis, stable combinations between the selected bioactive flavonoid components of Chinese olive and the key targets were found.
The integration of metabolomics and network pharmacology can provide a scientific basis for exploring the medicinal value of Chinese olive. Flavonoids of Chinese olive exert various pharmacological activities through a multi-component, multi-target, and multi-pathway mechanism.
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