Chicory-derived lactucins: research progress on its biological activity and extraction methods

Lactucin-like compounds in chicory plants are highly valuable because of their commercial and medicinal benefits. The low levels in naturally grown plants make direct consumption ineffective for achieving their benefits, necessitating increased extraction efficiency. However, the limited understanding of these guaianolides has slowed research progress. The significant gap between the slow research progress and the promising application potential has led to interest in comprehensively understanding the growth, extraction, and efficacy mechanisms of lactucin-like substances. Efforts are now focused on leveraging big data to characterize these compounds using techniques that address the global supply demand imbalance of lactucin and its derivatives. This review describes the anti-inflammatory and sleep-enhancing properties of lactucin-like substances. Strengths and weaknesses of various isolation techniques were discussed to provide insight into the methods that are most effective for obtaining these valuable compounds.