Antioxidant activity |
Onion methanol extract |
In vitro |
Rat dopaminergic cell line N27-A |
500 μg/mL |
Upregulating antioxidant enzyme (HO-1, NQO1, and catalase) expressions |
(6) |
Onion powder |
In vivo |
Rats |
10% onion powder in diets |
Enhancing the activity of CAT, SOD and GPx enzymes in erythrocytes and liver |
(10) |
Onion extract |
In vivo |
Ovalbumin-sensitized rats |
35, 70, and 140 mg/kg/d for 21 days |
Enhancing the levels of SOD, CAT, and thiol |
(53) |
Onion |
In vivo |
Potassium bromate-induced oxidative damage in rats |
10, 20, and 30% in diets |
Protecting against oxidative damage; reducing MDA levels; restoring the architecture of liver and kidney cells |
(54) |
Phenolic-rich onion extract |
In vivo |
Broiler chicks |
1, 2, and 3 g/kg diet |
Increasing CAT, SOD activity, and GSH level |
(55) |
Pawpaw-onion powder |
In vivo |
African catfish |
2.5, 5, and 10 g/kg diet |
Increasing antioxidant enzyme activity |
(56) |
Onion juice |
Clinical trial |
Healthy subjects |
100 mL for 8 weeks |
Reducing total free radicals and superoxide anions levels; elevating the glutathione content and total antioxidant capacity |
(57) |
Antimicrobial activity |
Onion liquid and lyophilized extracts |
In vitro |
Staphylococcus aureus; Escherichia coli |
Showing high antibacterial efficiency against Gram-positive bacteria, such as S. aureus
|
(58) |
Lemongrass and onion essential oils |
In vitro |
Escherichia coli; Salmonella Choleraesuis; Listeria monocytogenes; Staphylococcus aureus
|
Leafy vegetables treated with the essential oils combination showed higher antibacterial protection and odor acceptability |
(59) |
Red onion polysaccharide fractions |
In vitro |
Staphylococcus aureus; Escherichia coli; Bacillus subtilis; Salmonella typhimurium |
Showing stronger antibacterial effect against B. subtilis than other bacteria |
(30) |
Graphene using extract of onion |
In vitro |
Escherichia Coli; Pseudomonas aeruginosa; Staphylococcus faecalis; Staphylococcus aureus |
Showing great antibacterial activity |
(60) |
Bulb extracts from onion and onion varieties |
In vitro |
Bacillus cereus; Staphylococcus aureus; Listeria innocua; Escherichia coli; Pseudomonas aeruginosa |
Against three Gram-positive species (B. cereus, L. innocua, S. aureus) and P. aeruginosa
|
(5) |
Onion husks non-polar fraction; 7-Keto-(5-6-dihydro)-β-Sitosterol |
In vitro |
Pseudomonas aeruginosa; Chromobacterium violaceum |
Inhibiting Quorum sensing effects; inhibiting swimming motilities |
(61) |
Silver nanoparticles using extracts of neem, onion and tomato |
In vitro |
Staphylococcus aureus |
Against Gram-positive bacteria Staphylococcus aureus in nutrient agar |
(62) |
Red onion skin extract |
In vitro |
Staphylococcus epidermidis; Staphylococcus aureus; Listeria innocua; Enterococcus faecalis |
Showing great antibacterial activity |
(63) |
Onion essential oil |
In vitro |
Aspergillus, Fusarium, and Penicillium species |
Showing fungicidal or inhibitory effects on the growth of fungal species from food |
(64) |
Onion endophytic bacterium Bacillus endophyticus
|
In vitro |
Magnaporthe oryzae |
Showing effective antifungal effect against rice blast pathogen |
(65) |
Red onion ethanol extract |
In vitro |
Trichophyton rubrum |
Preventing tinea pedis caused by fungal infection |
(66) |
Anti-inflammatory activity |
Onion methanol extract |
In vitro |
Lipopolysaccharide-induced BV-2 microglial cells |
50, 250, and 500 μg/mL |
Preventing LPS-stimulated increases of proinflammatory cytokines, TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1β; decreasing iNOS and COX-2 levels; reducing the release of NO |
(6) |
Red onion skin extract |
In vitro |
LPS-treated RAW 264.7 cells |
|
Inhibiting IL-6 and IL-1; decreasing the release of NO |
(63) |
Onion-derived nanoparticles |
In vitro |
LPS-treated RAW 264 cells |
|
Inhibiting NO production |
(67) |
Onion bulb extract |
In vitro |
Isolated bone-marrow derived neutrophils |
0.01, 0.1, 1, 10, and 100 μg/ml |
Reversing and preventing colitis in mice via inhibition of proinflammatory signaling molecules and neutrophil activity |
(14) |
|
In vivo |
Dextran sulfate sodium-induced colitis in mice |
100 and 200 mg/kg |
|
|
Onion extract |
In vivo |
Rats |
0.175, 0.35, and 0.7 mg/mL in drinking water |
Decreasing in total WBC and PLA2 level; decreasing neutrophil and eosinophil counts; increasing in lymphocytes count |
(68) |
Onion bulb extract |
In vivo |
Dextran sulfate sodium-induced colitis in mice |
30, 60, 100, and 200 mg/kg |
Modulating the expression and the activity of important pro-inflammatory molecules and signaling pathways involved in the inflammatory response |
(69) |
Onion bulb extract |
In vivo |
Mice |
10, 30, 60, and 100 mg/kg |
Alleviating house dust mite-induced perivascular and peribronchial inflammation through EGFR, ERK1/2, and AKT pathway |
(13) |
Onion aqueous extract |
In vivo |
Carrageenan-induced paw edema in rats |
0.1, 0.5, and 1.5 mg/kg I.P injection |
Reducing rat paw edema dose dependently |
(70) |
Anti-obesity activity |
Onion peel extracts; quercetin and isoquercetin |
In vitro |
3T3-L1 cells |
Extract 50, 100, and 150 μg/ml; quercetin and isoquercetin 25, 50, and 100 μM |
Remodeling white adipocytes to brown-like adipocytes |
(27) |
|
In vivo |
HFD-fed mice |
0.5% in diets for 8 weeks |
|
|
Onion peel extract |
In vitro |
3T3-L1 cells |
25, 50, 100, 150, 200, 300, 400, and 500 μg/mL |
Inhibiting lipid accumulation |
(71) |
|
In vivo |
HFD-fed mice |
36, 90, and 144 mg/kg for 8 weeks |
Reducing body weight; lowering fat coefficient and improving serum lipid levels |
|
Quercetin; red onion extract |
In vivo |
HFD-fed mice |
Diets with 17 mg/kg of quercetin equivalents for 9 weeks |
Preventing hypermethylation in the Pgc-1α promoter |
(72) |
Onion oil |
In vivo |
HFD-fed rats |
46.3 and 92.6 mg/kg/d for 60 days |
Reducing body weight gain and tending to decrease adipose tissue weight |
(73) |
Quercetin-rich onion peel extract |
Clinical trial |
72 subjects with BMI > 23 kg/m2
|
170 mg capsule contains 50 mg quercetin, 2 capsules/d for 12 weeks |
Reducing weight and percentage of body fat; decreasing blood glucose and leptin levels |
(7) |
Quercetin-rich onion powder |
Clinical trial |
70 healthy Japanese subjects |
9 g/d for 12 weeks |
Lowering alanine aminotransferase; reducing visceral fat area in lower high-density lipoprotein cholesterol subjects |
(74) |
Steamed onion |
Clinical trial |
70 overweight subjects |
300 mg capsule contains 37.5% steamed onion; 3 capsules/d for 12 weeks |
Reducing percentage of body fat and fat mass with no significant effects on lean body mass |
(75) |
Onion peel extract |
Clinical trial |
61 overweight and obese subjects |
Capsule contains 50 mg quercetin, 119.2 mg total polyphenol, and 65.0 mg total flavonoid; 2 capsules/d for 12 weeks |
Regulating erythrocyte n-6/n-3 ratio and preventing fat accumulation in various body regions |
(76) |
Anti-diabetic activity |
Onion seed extract |
In vivo |
Streptozotocin-induced male rats |
200 and 400 mg/kg/d for 28 days |
Protecting against adverse effects of diabetes on reproductive system |
(77) |
Fenugreek seeds and onion |
In vivo |
Streptozotocin-induced diabetes in rats |
10% fenugreek seeds or 3% onion or their combination in diet for 6 weeks |
Ameliorating hyperglycemia and its associated metabolic disorders |
(78) |
Fenugreek seeds and onion |
In vivo |
Streptozotocin-induced diabetes in rats |
10% fenugreek seeds or 3% onion or their combination in diet for 6 weeks |
Reducing oxidative stress |
(79) |
Fenugreek seeds and onion |
In vivo |
Streptozotocin-induced diabetes in rats |
10% fenugreek seeds or 3% onion or their combination in diet for 6 weeks |
Alleviating cardiac damage |
(80) |
Fenugreek seeds and onion |
In vivo |
Streptozotocin-induced diabetes in rats |
10% fenugreek seeds or 3% onion or their combination in diet for 6 weeks |
Attenuating diabetic nephropathy |
(81) |
Fenugreek seeds and onion |
In vivo |
Streptozotocin-induced diabetes in rats |
10% fenugreek seeds or 3% onion or their combination in diet for 6 weeks |
Ameliorating eye lens abnormalities |
(82) |
Fenugreek seeds and onion |
In vivo |
Streptozotocin-induced diabetes in rats |
10% fenugreek seeds or 3% onion or their combination in diet for 6 weeks |
Countering the deformity and fragility of erythrocytes |
(83) |
Red onion scales extract |
In vivo |
Streptozotocin-induced diabetes in rats |
150 and 300 mg/kg/d for 4 weeks |
Improving fasting blood glucose and advanced glycation end products levels; elevating serum insulin level; down-regulating inflammatory mRNA expression |
(84) |
Heat-processed onion extract |
In vivo |
Male rats |
500 mg/kg |
Showing anti-diabetic effect by suppressing carbohydrate absorption via inhibition of intestinal sucrase, thereby reducing the post-prandial increase of blood glucose |
(85) |
Fenugreek seeds and onion |
In vivo |
Streptozotocin-induced diabetes in rats |
10% fenugreek seeds or 3% onion or their combination in diet for 6 weeks |
Attenuating diabetic nephropathy via suppression of glucose transporters and renin-angiotensin system |
(86) |
Onion peel extract/onion powder |
In vivo |
Alloxan-induced diabetes in rats |
1 and 3% onion peel extract, 5 and 7% onion powder in bread |
Reducing blood glucose and MDA levels; improving antioxidant enzyme activities |
(87) |
Raw red onion |
clinical trial |
53 overweight or obese non-diabetic patients with polycystic ovary syndrome |
2 × 40–50 g/d for overweight and 2 × 50–60 g/d for obese patients or 2 × 10–15 g/d for 8 weeks |
Improving insulin resistance markers; increasing the chance of menses occurrence |
(88) |
Anticancer activity |
Onion methanolic extract |
In vitro |
MDA-MB-231 cells; A1235 cells |
100 μg/mL in a complete medium |
Inhibiting tumor cells proliferation |
(89) |
Onion varieties extract |
In vitro |
Caco-2 cells |
1:10 dilution (10 μL of extract with 90 μL of growth media) |
Inhibiting tumor cells proliferation |
(90) |
Onion bulb extract |
In vitro |
HeLa cells; HCT116 cells; U2OS cells |
IC50: 24.79 μg/mL for HeLa; 24.73 μg/mL for HCT116; 36.6 μg/mL for U2OS |
Inducing apoptosis in cancer cells |
(91) |
Flavonol glucosides from red onion waste |
In vitro |
HeLa cells |
5, 10, 20, 50, and 100 μM |
QG, QDG, isoquercetin, and spiraeoside showed potent anticancer effect |
(92) |
Spiraeoside from red onion skin |
In vitro |
HeLa cells |
0.1, 1, 10, 50, and 100 ug/mL |
Inhibiting cell growth; promoting apoptosis by activating caspase-3 and caspase-9; inhibiting the expression of cyclin-dependent kinase 2-cyclin-E |
(93) |
Onion extract |
In vitro |
AsPC-1, MCF-7, HCT116, HEP2, and HepG2 |
Encapsulated on nano chitosan |
Decreasing IC50 in cancer cell lines; inducing apoptosis by down-regulating BCL-2 level and up-regulating the activity of caspase-3 and caspase-9 |
(94) |
Onionin A from onions |
In vitro |
LM8 cells |
4 and 20 mg/kg |
Inhibiting tumor proliferation by suppressing Stat3 activation; inhibiting subcutaneous tumor development and lung metastasis |
(95) |
|
In vivo |
LM8 murine tumor-implanted model |
20 mg/kg |
|
|
Fresh yellow onion |
Clinical trial |
Breast cancer patients during doxorubicin-based chemotherapy |
30–40 g/d and 100–160 g/d for 8 weeks |
Ameliorating hyperglycemia and insulin resistance during doxorubicin-based chemotherapy |
(96) |
Cardiovascular protection |
Onion methanol fractions and flavonols |
In vitro |
Collagen-induced platelet aggregation in rat platelet-rich plasma |
0.5, 1, 3, and 5 mg/mL onion methanol fractions; 0.5, 1, and 2 mg/mL quercetin glycosides |
Inhibiting platelet aggregation |
(97) |
Onion peel extract |
In vivo |
High-cholesterol diet-induced male mice |
100 and 200 mg/kg/d for 12 weeks |
Lowering liver weight, total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, triacylglycerol, atherogenic index, and cardiac risk factor; increasing fecal cholesterol levels |
(98) |
Onion bulb powder |
In vivo |
High-cholesterol diet-induced male rats |
10% onion powder in high-cholesterol diets for 7 weeks |
Altering fecal bile acid composition by modulating microbiome |
(99) |
Onion bulb powder |
In vivo |
High-cholesterol diet-induced male rats |
10% onion powder in high-cholesterol diets for 7 weeks |
Modulating hepatic prostaglandins; enhancing ω-3 oxylipins in the liver; modifying sphingolipids in liver and spleen tissue |
(100) |
Onion bulb powder |
In vivo |
High-cholesterol diet-induced male rats |
10% onion powder in high-cholesterol diets for 7 weeks |
Increasing SOD, CAT, and GPx activities; anti-inflammatory response, and cardiovascular risk biomarkers |
(10) |
Onion extract |
In vivo |
High-cholesterol diet-induced male rats |
0.5, 1.5, and 4.5 g/kg/d for 4 weeks |
Alleviating hyperlipidemia with downregulation of HMGCR and upregulation of LDL receptor |
(101) |
Red wine extract of onion |
Clinical trial |
Healthy hypercholesterolemic volunteers |
250 mL/d (contains 10.5% of alcohol, 1.4 g/L polyphenols, and 170 mg/L total flavonoids) for 10 weeks |
Altering cholesterol; improving antioxidation; inhibiting inflammatory marker levels; attenuating cardiovascular disease incidence |
(102) |
Quercetin from onion skin extract powder |
Clinical trial |
Overweight to obese adults with hypertension |
Capsule contains 132 mg onion skin extract powder, eq. 54 mg quercetin |
Acute intake of quercetin does not influence post-prandial blood pressure and endothelial function |
(103) |
Quercetin from onion skin extract powder |
Clinical trial |
Overweight to obese patients with (pre-) hypertension |
3 capsules/d (eq. 162 mg quercetin) for 6 weeks |
Quercetin did not affect glucose, insulin, blood biomarkers of liver and renal function, hematology, and serum electrolytes |
(104) |
Neuroprotection |
Onion methanol extract |
In vitro |
Rat dopaminergic cell line N27-A |
500 μg/mL |
Upregulating antiapoptotic gene (Bcl-2); protecting against MPP+-induced death |
(6) |
Red onion ethanolic extract |
In vivo |
Streptozotocin-induced rats |
125 and 250 mg/kg/d for 4 weeks |
Improving learning and memory impairments in diabetic rats |
(105) |
Onion leave extract |
In vivo |
Rats with neuropathic pain |
25, 50, and 100 mg/kg |
Ameliorating diabetes-induced and chronic constriction injury-induced neuropathic pain |
(106) |
Onion ethanolic extract |
In vivo |
6-hydroxydopamine-induced rats |
50, 100, and 200 mg/kg/d |
Reducing malondialdehyde levels; ameliorating cognitive dysfunction |
(11) |
Onion water extract |
In vivo |
Pterygopalatine artery ligated mice |
300 mg/kg |
Ameliorating retinal damage by regulating the expression of neurotrophic factors |
(107) |
Onion outer scale extract |
In vivo |
Mice with cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury |
Ethyl acetate fraction: 85 and 170 mg/kg; aqueous fraction: 115 and 230 mg/kg |
Improving the memory and sensorimotor functions in cerebral injury |
(108) |
Hepatorenal protection |
Onion juice |
In vivo |
Doxorubicin-induced rats |
1 mL for 14 days |
Preventing doxorubicin -induced hepatotoxicity |
(109) |
Red onion peel extract |
In vivo |
CCl4-induced rat hepatorenal toxicity |
50 and 100 mg/kg |
Ameliorating hepatonephro-linked serum and tissue markers dose dependently |
(12) |
Onion bulb powder |
In vivo |
High-cholesterol diet-induced rats |
10% in diets for 7 weeks |
Increasing liver SOD and GPx activity; decreasing liver protein carbonyls |
(10) |
Red onion scales extract |
In vivo |
Streptozotocin-induced rats |
150 and 300 mg/kg/d for 4 weeks |
Ameliorating kidney histopathological alterations |
(84) |
Onion powder |
In vivo |
High-fat, high sugar diet rats |
7% in diets for 7 weeks |
Lowering hepatic steatosis and hepatic TNF-α gene expression |
(110) |
Quercetin-rich onion powder |
Clinical trial |
Healthy Japanese subjects |
9 g/d for 12 weeks |
Improving liver function; lowering alanine aminotransferase level |
(74) |
Respiratory system protection |
Onion extract |
In vitro |
Isolated rat tracheal smooth muscle |
2, 4, 8, 16, 32, and 64 mg/ml add to organ bath every 5 min |
Relaxing tracheal smooth muscle via calcium channel blockade or β2-adrenergic stimulatory |
(111) |
Onion aqueous-alcoholic extract |
In vivo |
Asthmatic rats sensitized with ovalbumin |
0.175, 0.35, and 0.7 mg/mL in drinking water |
Decreasing tracheal responsiveness, neutrophil and eosinophil counts; increasing lymphocytes count; reducing monocyte count |
(68) |
Onion extract |
In vivo |
Nicotine-induced lung damage in rats |
50 mg/kg/d |
Attenuating the pathological effect of nicotine in the lung |
(112) |
Onion bulb extract |
In vivo |
House dust mite-challenged male mice |
10, 30, 60, and 100 mg/kg |
Mediating anti-inflammatory effects through the inhibition of the EGFR/ERK1/2/AKT-dependent pathway |
(13) |
Digestive system protection |
Red onion suspension |
In vivo |
Rats |
200 and 500 mg/kg |
Mitigating various experimental triggers of gastric mucosal injury |
(113) |
Onion powder |
In vivo |
Broiler chicks |
1.5, 2, and 2.5 g/kg in diet |
Improving the population of gut microflora and intestinal histomorphology |
(114) |
Onion quercetin monoglycosides |
In vivo |
High-fat diet fed rats |
0.15% (quercetin:quercetin monoglycosides, 98:2 and 69:31) in diet for 4 weeks |
Increasing the enzymatic activity of the intestinal microbiota |
(115) |
Onion quercetin monoglycosides |
In vivo |
Dextran sulfate sodium-induced colitis in mice |
0.15% (quercetin:quercetin monoglycosides, 98:2 and 69:31) in diet |
Reducing dextran sulfate sodium-induced colitis |
(116) |
Onion bulb extract |
In vivo |
Dextran sulfate sodium-induced colitis in mice |
30, 60, 100, and 200 mg/kg |
Reducing colitis severity; regulating expression and activity of pro-inflammatory molecules and signaling pathways |
(69) |
Onion bulb extract |
In vitro |
Isolated bone-marrow derived neutrophils |
0.01, 0.1, 1, 10, and 100 μg/ml |
Reducing the percentage of viable bone-marrow derived neutrophils; increasing spontaneous apoptosis |
(14) |
|
In vivo |
Dextran sulfate sodium-induced colitis in mice |
100 and 200 mg/kg |
Reducing colitis severity; regulating colonic expression/activity profile of pro-inflammatory molecules |
|
Phenolic-rich onion extract |
In vivo |
Broiler chicken |
1, 2, and 3 g/kg in diet |
Improving growth rate by improving amino acid ileal digestibility and intestinal histology |
(55) |
Reproductive system protection |
Cysteine sulfoxides |
In vitro |
Testis-derived I-10 cells |
0.3, 1, and 3 mg/mL |
Enhancing progesterone production via activation of the protein kinase A pathway |
(117) |
Onion juice |
In vivo |
Rats |
3 mL/d |
Increasing testosterone level |
(118) |
Onion juice |
In vivo |
Rats |
3 mL/d |
Against permethrin-induced testis damages |
(119) |
Onion juice |
In vivo |
Rats |
3 mL/d |
Maintaining reproductive ability and improving sexual activities |
(120) |
Onion juice |
In vivo |
Rats |
3 mL/d |
Restoring permethrin-induced reductions in hormonal of FSH and LH levels, and gene expression of LHCGR and SF1 |
(121) |
Onion juice |
In vivo |
Rats |
40 mg/kg/d |
Improving the sperm quality and fertility after testicular torsion/detorsion |
(15) |
Onion extract |
In vivo |
Rats |
100 and 1,000 mg/kg |
Improving sperm count, motility, and morphology; ameliorating sera testosterone and SOD levels |
(122) |
Onion extract |
In vivo |
Rats |
500 mg/kg |
Protecting against dexamethasone-induced testicular damage in rats |
(123) |
Onion juice |
In vivo |
Rats |
5 mL/kg for 21 days |
Protecting against maternal dexamethasone-induced reproductive toxicity in rat female offspring |
(124) |
Onion juice |
In vivo |
Rats |
Intracavernosal injection of 200 uL |
Improving dutasteride-induced erectile dysfunction in rats |
(125) |
Onion extract |
In vivo |
Brown laying hens |
0.0032% in diet |
Improving egg quality and productive performance |
(126) |
Immune modulation |
Onion bulb extract |
In vitro |
NK CD16+ immune cells |
|
Inducing the growth of CD16+ natural killer cells |
(127) |
Onionin A |
In vitro |
CD4+ and CD8+ cells |
10, 30, 50, and 100 μM |
Improving the activity of lymphocytes |
(95) |
|
In vivo |
Tumor-bearing mice |
20 mg/kg/d for 2 weeks |
Preventing the immunosuppressive activities of macrophages |
|
Onion extract |
In vivo |
Immune-suppressed rats |
500 mg/kg/d for 4 weeks |
Increasing the levels of cytokines (TNF and IL-6) and immunoglobulins (IgG and IgM) |
(16) |
Onion extract |
In vivo |
Ovalbumin-sensitized rats |
35, 70, and 140 mg/kg/d for 21 days |
Decreasing the levels of IL-4 and IgE |
(53) |