Antihistaminic Activity of Shikonin from Biotechnologically Grown Echium italicum L.

Allergy is still the main problem related to Coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19), climate change, and the use of many toxic and chemical materials in the world. Thus, many studies keep finding new ways to prevent or treat allergies. Nowadays, many medicinal and aromatical plants can be utilized for allergy treatment, and one of them Echium italicum L. is common generally in Europe, Mediterranean, and many cities such as Istanbul, Erzurum, and Balıkesir in Turkey. Under biotic and abiotic stresses in nature, Echium italicum produces secondary metabolites, which are alkaloid, terpene, and phenolic compounds, from its hairy roots for adaptation to these conditions. Shikonin is one of the phenolic compounds produced from Echium italicum, has anticancer, antibacterial, and wound-healing properties. It is also used as a coloring agent in the pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and textile industries. Moreover, shikonin has antihistaminic activity, and it can be used in treatment of the main allergic diseases. Due to its biological activity, it has been started to produce shikonin by using many cell and tissue cultures in biotechnology. This chapter focused on the antihistaminic activity of shikonin produced from Echium italicum grown biotechnologically, and shed light on plant secondary metabolites and their antiallergic activity via reporting previous studies.