Plant Sulfides: Effective Compounds on Hair and Skin Diseases

Sulfur compounds in plants can differ in number of sulfur groups، being cyclic or acyclic، and saturation number. They affect the flavor and fragrance of herbal products. Plants rich in sulfides like Allium and Ferula have beneficial effects on skin. Allium sulfides are disinfectant، antifungal، and hair stimulant. Likewise، Ferula sulfides have disinfectant and antifungal properties. Sulfides such as diallyl sulfide have been shown to possess antitumor activities on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon-induced mouse skin carcinogenesis and to reduce cell proliferation. Diallyl sulfide also regulates p21/rat sarcoma protein expression in dimethylbenzanthracene-induced neoplastic changes in mouse skin. Moreover، sulfur compounds are antileishmanial agents and improve hair and nail growth. It seems that sulfide derivatives of medicinal plants can be used in some dermatological products and cosmetics.