Therapeutic Potential of Stable Organosulfur Compounds of Aged Garlic

Abstract

Aged garlic extract (AGE) is an odorless derivative of garlic prepared by extracting garlic cloves in an aqueous solution for twenty months. During the process of aging, reactive organosulfur compounds such as allicin present in garlic are converted to their stable isoforms such as S- Allyl cysteine. The unstable organo sulfurs in garlic (Allium sativum L.) have been reported to cause problems in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract with an extremely pungent odor to attain its therapeutic potential. But these pharmacologically safer sulfur compounds of AGE have been studied and reported to have exceptional therapeutic potential in human health and various diseases. SAllyl cysteine (SAC), Diallyl disulfide (DADS), Diallyl trisulfide (DATS), S-allyl-mercaptocysteine (SAMC), are the most studied organosulfur compounds in in-vitro as well as in-vivo research. Biomedical research suggests that these phytoconstituents exhibit antioxidant, cardioprotective, cancer preventive, neuroprotective, immunomodulatory, antilipidemic, antidiabetic, hepatoprotective, and antiobesity effects. The therapeutic potential of aged garlic extract has been found to be extensively beneficial in these conditions, and provide a vast future in biomedical chemistry, herbdrug synergy and drug designing. The purpose of this review is to provide a mechanistic understanding of various organosulfur compounds of AGE in human health and disease based on data provided in the literature.

Keywords: Aged garlic extracts; anticancer activity; antioxidant; cardiovascular disease; drug design; immunomodulation; medicinal chemistry.