Chlorophyll and its derivatives in practical medicine

Chlorophylls are pigments of green plants with antioxidant activity that reduce the risk of chronic diseases. The review summarizes data on the therapeutic and preventive effects of chlorophylls. A chlorophyll-enriched diet demonstrates a broad spectrum of anticancer activity. Chlorophylls protect dopaminergic neurons of the brain from oxidative damage and reduce the severity of neurodegenerative disorders in Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. They also induce apoptosis in adipocytes and may serve as preventive agents against obesity. However, the metabolic pathways of chlorophylls when consumed with food and digested in the gastrointestinal tract remain insufficiently studied. Chlorophylls are relatively unstable and undergo degradation during the processing and storage of plant materials. Future research should focus on comparing the therapeutic efficacy of chlorophylls and corresponding pharmaceutical drugs under clinical conditions.