Plant Sulfides: Effective Compounds on Hair and Skin Diseases



Jelodarian Z¹ ; Taghvayi R² ; Allahyari E¹ ; Shokoohinia Y³ ; Ghannadi A⁴ Show Affiliations
Source: Journal of Isfahan Medical School Published:2013

Abstract

Sulfur compounds in plants can differ in number of sulfur groups, being cyclic or acyclic, and saturation number. They affect the flavor and fragrance of herbal products. Plants rich in sulfides like Allium and Ferula have beneficial effects on skin. Allium sulfides are disinfectant, antifungal, and hair stimulant. Likewise, Ferula sulfides have disinfectant and antifungal properties. Sulfides such as diallyl sulfide have been shown to possess antitumor activities on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarboninduced mouse skin carcinogenesis and to reduce cell proliferation. Diallyl sulfide also regulates p21/rat sarcoma protein expression in dimethylbenzanthracene-induced neoplastic changes in mouse skin. Moreover, sulfur compounds are antileishmanial agents and improve hair and nail growth. It seems that sulfide derivatives of medicinal plants can be used in some dermatological products and cosmetics. Plant sulfide compounds have different therapeutic effects including antioxidant, antibacterial, cytotoxic, and antitumor effects. They also have an important role in chemotaxonomy. This study is a brief introduction to these compounds.