Ethnobotany, phytochemistry, and pharmacology of the genus Litsea: An update.

The genus Litsea is one of the most diverse genera of evergreen trees or shrubs belong to Lauraceae, and comprises roughly 400 species of tree that are distributed abundantly throughout tropical and subtropical Asia, North and South America. Litsea species have been used globally in traditional medicine for the treatment of various diseases including influenza, stomach aches, diarrhea, diabetes, vomiting, bone pain, inflammation, illness related to the central nervous system and other ailments. The purpose of this review is to provide updated, comprehensive and categorized information on the ethnobotany, phytochemistry and pharmacological research of Litsea species in order to explore their therapeutic potential and evaluate future research opportunities. All the available information on Litsea species was actualised by systematically searching the scientific literatures including Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Indian, and South American herbal classics, library catalogs and scientific databases (PubMed, SciFinder, Web of Science, Google Scholar, VIP and Wanfang). The Plant List, International Plant Name index and Scientific Database of China Plant Species were used to validate scientific names. 407 secondary metabolites have been reported from Litsea species. Litsea Species are sources of secondary metabolites with interesting chemical structures (alkaloids, lactones, sesquiterpenes, flavonoids, lignans, and essential oils) and significant bioactivities. Crude extracts, fractions and phytochemical constituents isolated from Litsea show a wide spectrum of in vitro and in vivo pharmacological activities including anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antioxidant, antidiabetic, anti-HIV, insecticidal, etc. From data collected in this review, the genus Litsea comprises a wide range of therapeutically promising and valuable plants, and has attracted much attention owing to its multiple functions. Many traditional uses of Litsea species have now been validated by modern pharmacology research. Deep and systematic phytochemical investigation of the genus Litsea and the pharmacological properties, especially its mechanism of action and toxicology, to illustrate its ethnomedicinal use, explore the therapeutic potential and support further health-care product development will undoubtedly be the focus of further research. Therefore, detailed and extensive studies and clinical evaluation of Litsea species should be carried out in future for the safety approval of therapeutic applications.

Wang YS ，Wen ZQ ，Li BT ，Zhang HB ，Yang JH ... -  《-》

Medicinal plants of the genus Anthocleista--A review of their ethnobotany, phytochemistry and pharmacology.

The genus Anthocleista of the Gentianaceae family contains 14 species of trees and shrub-like plants distributed in tropical Africa, in Madagascar and on the Comoros. Traditionally, they are commonly used in the treatment of diabetes, hypertension, malaria, typhoid fever, obesity, diarrhea, dysentery, hyperprolactinemia, abdominal pain, ulcer, jaundice, asthma, hemorrhoids, hernia, cancer, wounds, chest pains, inflammations, rheumatism, STDs, infertility and skin diseases. They serve as an anthelmintic, laxative, diuretic and contraceptive. This review aims to provide for the first time a repository of ethnopharmacological information while critically evaluating the relation between the traditional medicinal uses, chemical constituents and pharmacological activities of the Anthocleista species so as to unveil opportunities for future research. A search for relevant information on Anthocleista species was performed on scientific databases (Pubmed, Google Scholar, SciFinder, Web of Science, Scopus, PubChem and other web sources such as The Plant List, Kew Botanical Garden and PROTA) and books, PhD and MSc dissertations for un-published resources. Out of the 14 species of Anthocleista, 6 have been reported in literature to be widely used in traditional medicine for the treatment of various ailments. The six species include: A. djalonensis, A. vogelii, A. nobilis, A. grandiflora, A. schweinfurthii, and A. liebrechtsiana. The chemical compounds isolated from Anthocleista species fall into the class of phytochemicals such as secoiridoids, nor-secoiridoids, xanthones, phytosterols, triterpenes, alkaloids, and others of which majority of the compounds were isolated from A. djalonensis and A. vogelii. The in vitro and in vivo pharmacological studies on the crude extracts, fractions and few isolated compounds of Anthocleista species showed antidiabetic, antiplasmodial, antimicrobial, hypotensive, spasmogenic, anti-obesity, antiulcerogenic, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antitrypanosomal, anthelmintic, fertility, diuretic and laxative activities which supports most of their uses in traditional medicine. However, the bulk of the studies where centered on the antidiabetic, antiplasmodial and antimicrobial activities of Anthocleista species, although the evidence of its antiplasmodial effect was not convincing enough due to the discrepancies between the in vitro and in vivo results. A. djalonensis and A. vogelii are potential antidiabetic and antibacterial agents. The antibacterial potency relates to infections or diseases caused by E. coli, S. typhi and S. aureus such as urinary tract infections, typhoid, diarrhea, skin diseases, and food poisoning. Pharmacological research on this genus is quite elementary and limited, thus, more advanced research is necessary to isolate and determine the activities of bioactive compounds in vitro and in vivo, establish their mechanisms of action and commence the process of clinical research.

Anyanwu GO ，Nisar-ur-Rehman ，Onyeneke CE ，Rauf K ... -  《-》

Ethnobotany, phytochemistry and neuropharmacological effects of Petiveria alliacea L. (Phytolaccaceae): A review.

Petiveria alliacea L. commonly grows in the tropical regions of the Americas such as the Amazon forest, Central America, Caribbean islands and Mexico, as well as specific regions of Africa. Popularly known by several different names including 'mucuracaá', 'guiné' and 'pipi', P. alliacea has been used in traditional medicine for the treatment of various central nervous system (CNS) disorders, such as anxiety, pain, memory deficits and seizures, as well as for its anaesthetic and sedative properties. Furthermore, the use of this species for religious ceremonies has been reported since the era of slavery in the Americas. Therefore, the present review aims to provide a critical and comprehensive overview of the ethnobotany, phytochemistry and pharmacological properties of P. alliacea, focusing on CNS pharmacological effects, in order to identify scientific lacunae and to open new perspectives for future research. A literature search was performed on P. alliacea using ethnobotanical textbooks, published articles in peer-reviewed journals, unpublished materials, government survey reports and scientific databases such as PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Science Direct and Google Scholar. The Plant List, International Plant Name Index and Kew Botanical Garden Plant name databases were used to validate the scientific names. Crude extracts, fractions and phytochemical constituents isolated from various parts of P. alliacea show a wide spectrum of neuropharmacological activities including anxiolytic, antidepressant, antinociceptive and anti-seizure, and as cognitive enhancers. Phytochemistry studies of P. alliacea indicate that this plant contains a diversity of biologically active compounds, with qualitative and quantitative variations of the major compounds depending on the region of collection and the harvest season, such as essential oil (Petiverina), saponinic glycosides, isoarborinol-triterpene, isoarborinol-acetate, isoarborinol-cinnamate, steroids, alkaloids, flavonoids and tannins. Root chemical analyses have revealed coumarins, benzyl-hydroxy-ethyl-trisulphide, benzaldehyde, benzoic acid, dibenzyl trisulphide, potassium nitrate, b-sitosterol, isoarborinol, isoarborinol-acetate, isoarborinol-cinnamate, polyphenols, trithiolaniacine, glucose and glycine. Many traditional uses of P. alliacea have now been validated by modern pharmacology research. The available data reviewed here support the emergence of P. alliacea as a potential source for the treatment of different CNS disorders including anxiety, depression, pain, epilepsy and memory impairments. However, further studies are certainly required to improve the knowledge about the mechanisms of action, toxicity and efficacy of the plant as well as about its bioactive compounds before it can be approved in terms of its safety for therapeutic applications.

Luz DA ，Pinheiro AM ，Silva ML ，Monteiro MC ，Prediger RD ，Ferraz Maia CS ，Fontes-Júnior EA ... -  《-》

Phytochemistry and pharmacology of the genus Drypetes: A review.

Traditional medicinal use of species of the genus Drypetes is widespread in the tropical regions. The aim of this review is to systematically appraise the literature available to date on phytochemistry, ethnopharmacology, toxicology and bioactivity (in vitro and in vivo) of crude extracts and purified compounds. Plants of the genus Drypetes (Putranjivaceae) are used in the Subsaharan African and Asian traditional medicines to treat a multitude of disorders, like dysentery, gonorrhoea, malaria, rheumatism, sinusitis, tumours, as well as for the treatment of wounds, headache, urethral problems, fever in young children, typhoid and several other ailments. Some Drypetes species are used to protect food against pests, as an aphrodisiac, a stimulant/depressant, a rodenticide and a fish poison, against insect bites, to induce conception and for general healing. This review deals with updated information on the ethnobotany, phytochemistry, and biological activities of ethnomedicinally important Drypetes species, in order to provide an input for the future research opportunities. An extensive review of the literature available in various recognized databases e.g., Google Scholar, PubMed, Science Direct, SciFinder, Web of Science, www.theplantlist.org and www.gbif.org, as well as the Herbier National du Cameroun (Yaoundé) and Botanic Gardens of Limbe databases on the uses and bioactivity of various species of the Drypetes was undertaken. The literature provided information on ethnopharmacological uses of the Subsaharan African and Asian species of the genus Drypetes, e.g., Drypetes aubrévillii, D. capillipes, D. chevalieri, D. gerrardii, D. gossweileri, D. ivorensis, D. klainei, D. natalensis, D. pellegrini (all endemic to Africa) and D. roxburghii (Asian species), for the treatment of multiple disorders. From a total of 19 species, more than 140 compounds including diterpenes, sesquiterpenes, triterpenes (friedelane, oleanane, lupane and hopane-type), flavonoids, lignans, phenylpropanoids and steroids, as well as some thiocyanates, were isolated. Several crude extracts of these plants, and isolated compounds displayed significant analgesic, anthelmintic, antidiabetic, anti-emetic anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antiparasitic, central nervous system depressant, cytotoxic, and insecticidal activities both in vitro and in vivo. Some toxicities associated with the stem, bark, seed and leaf extracts of D. roxburghii, and the flavonoid, amentoflavone, isolated from the stem extract of D. littoralis as well as D. gerrardii, were confirmed in the animal models and in the rat skeletal myoblast cells assays. As a consequence, traditional medicine from this genus should in future be applied with care. Plants of this genus have offered bioactive samples, both from crude extracts and pure compounds, partly validating their effectivity in traditional medicine. However, most of the available scientific literatures lacks information on relevant doses, duration of the treatment, storage conditions and positive controls for examining bioefficacy of extract and its active compounds. Additional toxicological studies on the species used in local pharmacopeia are urgently needed to guarantee safe application due to high toxicity of some crude extracts. Interestingly, this review also reports 10 pimarane dinorditerpenoids structures with the aromatic ring C, isolated from the species collected in Asia Drypetes littoralis (Taiwan), D. perreticulata (China), and in Africa D. gerrardii (Kenya), D. gossweileri (Cameroon). These compounds might turn out to be good candidates for chemotaxonomic markers of the genus.

Wansi JD ，Wandji J ，Sewald N ，Nahar L ，Martin C ，Sarker SD ... -  《-》

Traditional uses, phytochemistry and pharmacological properties of Neolamarckia cadamba: A review.

There are more than 3000 officially documented plants in the Indian subcontinent that hold great medicinal potential. One such under-explored plant is an evergreen tropical tree Neolamarckia cadamba (Roxb.) Bosser (Rubiaceae). It is widely distributed in tropical and subtropical regions of the world and has therapeutic potential against many diseases such as diabetes, anaemia, stomatitis, leprosy, cancer and infectious diseases. Neolamarckia cadamba has historical existence in India and it is mentioned in mythical stories. There are several reports on medicinal values of root, bark and leaves of N. cadamba; but the literature on its fruits is scanty. Therefore, the present review aims to provide updated comprehensive information on the phytochemistry and pharmacological properties of different parts of N. cadamba tree with special reference to its fruit, in order to open new perspectives for future food and pharmacological research. A literature search was performed on N. cadamba using ethnobotanical textbooks, published articles in peer-reviewed journals, unpublished materials, government survey reports and scientific databases such as Pubmed, Scopus, Web of Science, Science Direct, Google Scholar and other web search engines (Google, Yahoo). The Plant List, International Plant Name Index and Kew Botanical Garden Plant name databases were used to validate the scientific names. Neolamarckia cadamba is one of the economically important trees, which is being exploited for paper, pulp and wood industry. In folk medicine, various parts of N. cadamba are used in the treatment of various ailments such as fever, uterine complaints, blood diseases, skin diseases, tumour, anaemia, eye inflammation and diarrhoea. Other reported uses of N. cadamba include antihepatotoxic, antimalarial, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antipyretic, diuretic and laxative. Various phytochemicals such as cadambine and its derivatives (dihydrocadambine and isodihydrocadambine) and indole alkaloids (Neolamarckines) were isolated from the leaves; whereas the presence of quinovic acid derivatives have been reported in the bark of N. cadamba. The present review compiles information on an ethnopharmacologically useful plant N. cadamba. Bioactive compounds responsible for its various medicinal properties and their effects at the molecular level need to be investigated in more detail. Furthermore, the detailed study of toxicity and pharmacological properties of extracts as well as molecules in N. cadamba is required to confirm the ethnomedicinal claims of N. cadamba for food and pharmaceutical applications.

Pandey A ，Negi PS 《-》