Phytochemistry and Application of White Mustard (Sinapis alba) in Medicine and Dentistry—A Narrative Review
White Mustard (<i>Sinapis alba</i>) seeds contain glucosinolates, mainly sinigrin and sinalbin. Isothiocyanate metabolites, together with flavonoids and tocopherols, present anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and antioxidant activities. This narrative review is a result of a literature search in PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar, spanning in vitro, in vivo. and clinical studies. The presented data highlight that mustard-derived products suppress pro-inflammatory cytokines such as TNF-α and inhibit a broad spectrum of pathogens at micromolar concentrations. In the largest (n = 113) double-blind dental trial to date, a white-mustard toothpaste reduced the mean value of Silness-Löe plaque index by -2.43 vs. -1.95 placebo and bleeding on probing by 30.6% vs. 26.8% within four weeks, while salivary <i>Streptococcus mutans</i> and <i>Porphyromonas gingival</i> colony counts decreased by 40%. A six-month follow-up study with a sinigrin-rich "Bamberka" extract confirmed these gains and selectively suppressed red-complex periopathogens. Clinical translation is limited by heterogeneous extraction methods, a lack of phytochemical standardization, and an unresolved allergenic risk linked to seed proteins Sin a 1 and Sin a 2. Mustard, therefore, emerges as a promising phytotherapeutic adjunct for controlling inflammation, infection, and oxidative stress, but widespread use awaits harmonized manufacturing guidelines, comprehensive allergological screening, and rigorously designed randomized trials benchmarked against chlorhexidine.
Authors
- Bartłomiej Górski
- Aniela Brodzikowska (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7368-574X)
- Konrad Michałowski (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0008-6059-3289)
Institutions
- Medical University of Warsaw (PL)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Molecules
- Published
- 2026-02-15
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules31040674
- Primary Topic
- Genomics, phytochemicals, and oxidative stress
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00