Context: Naringin is a natural flavanone glycoside that is found in the Chinese herbal medicines and citrus fruits. Studies have demonstrated that naringin possesses numerous biological and pharmacological properties, but few reviews of these studies have been performed.
Objective: The present review gathers the fragmented information available in the literature describing the extraction of naringin, its pharmacology and its controlled release formulations. Current research progress and the therapeutic potential of naringin are also discussed.
Methods: A literature survey for relevant information regarding the biological and pharmacological properties of naringin was conducted using Pubmed, Sciencedirect, MEDLINE, Springerlink and Google Scholar electronic databases from the year 2007-2015.
Results: Naringin modulates signalling pathways and interacts with signalling molecules and thus has a wide range of pharmacological activities, including anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer activities, as well as effects on bone regeneration, metabolic syndrome, oxidative stress, genetic damage and central nervous system (CNS) diseases. Information was gathered that showed the extraction of naringin can be improved using several modifications. There has been some progress in the development of controlled release formulations of naringin.
Conclusion: Naringin is a promising candidate for further in vivo studies and clinical use. More detailed studies regarding its mechanism of action are required.
Keywords: Pharmacological action; anti-cancer; anti-inflammatory; bone regeneration; controlled release formulations; extraction technology.