Phytochemistry and biological effects of aquatic plants from Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve (Iris spp. and Nymphaea spp.):an update review

Abstract

Among the native flora of the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve in Romania, there are two beautiful aquatic flowering plants, the Yellow Flag Iris ( Iris pseudacorus ) and the White Waterlily (Nymphaea alba ), which are part of the Iris and Nymphaea species, respectively. These two species, known mainly as ornamental plants, also have numerous bioactive properties, their extracts being recorded since the medieval era for the prevention and treatment of various diseases. This systematic review presents an update of the specialized literature on Iris spp. and Nymphaea spp. aiming to illustrate the chemical composition of the plant and a synthetic presentation of the most common biological applications of the extracts of these plants, but also regarding their traditional uses. Therefore, continued knowledge in this field is useful because there are few studies that reveal the toxicity of these plants at low doses. The reviewed studies indicate that Iris and Nymphaea from the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve contain a variety of bioactive compounds such as polyphenols, flavonoids and terpenoids that have supported many of their applications in traditional medicine, such as strong antioxidants, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, antitumor, antibacterial, antihepatotoxic, and antiviral activities.