watercress extract

Watercress extract is a botanical preparation derived from the leaves or aerial parts of watercress (Nasturtium officinale or Nasturtium nasturtium), an aquatic vegetable in the Brassicaceae family. It contains a range of bioactive constituents including isothiocyanates (notably phenethyl isothiocyanate), glucosinolates, polyphenols (flavonoids, phenolic acids, proanthocyanidins), carotenoids, terpenes, and vitamins such as vitamin C, B complex, and E. The extract is investigated for multiple pharmacological activities: antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer (affecting carcinogenesis through inhibition of initiation, proliferation, and metastasis of cancer cells), hypolipidemic, hepatoprotective, renoprotective, immunomodulatory, and antigenotoxic effects. Its mechanisms of action are generally attributed to antioxidant activity (scavenging reactive oxygen and nitrogen species, upregulating antioxidant enzymes), modulation of metabolizing enzymes (inhibiting phase I cytochrome P450 and inducing phase II detoxifying enzymes), anti-inflammatory pathways (reducing NF-κB activation and COX-2/iNOS expression), and support of normal glucose and lipid metabolism. Watercress extract is used in traditional medicine for hyperglycemia, hypercholesterolemia, hypertension, asthma, arthritis, cough, bronchitis, and as a nutritional supplement. Scientific evidence for some uses is limited, with the strongest data for antioxidant, anticancer, and hepatoprotective effects in preclinical studies. It is not an approved pharmaceutical but is used in dietary supplements and herbal medicine.

Other names

watercressNasturtium officinale extractNasturtium nasturtium extractcressonberro