Genus Calotropis: A Hub of Medicinally Active Phytoconstituents

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 312-331
Author(s):  
Shelly Pathania ◽  
Parveen Bansal ◽  
Prasoon Gupta ◽  
Ravindra K. Rawal

Traditional medicines derived from plant and other natural sources have several advantages over synthetic drugs when used for the management of pathological conditions. Natural product based therapies are safer than synthetic drugs-based chemotherapies. One of such sources of bioactive molecules includes C. procera and C. gigantea, flowering herbal plants, belonging to the genus Calotropis, family Apocynaceae, which, due to their diverse pharmacological profile, have been widely employed in Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha and other traditional systems for the treatment of various diseases. The various parts of this plant are rich in phytoconstituents such as cardiac glycosides, flavonoids, terpenoids, steroids, phenolic compounds, proteins etc. Due to the presence of multiple constituents, this plant possess diverse biological activities such as analgesic, antitumor, antihelmintic, antioxidant, hepatoprotective, antidiarrhoeal, anticonvulsant, antimicrobial, oestrogenic, antinociceptive, antimalarial activity etc. The present review provides comprehensive information about various phytochemical constituents of the plant along with their medicinal importance.

2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hidayat Hussain ◽  
Ahmed Al-Harrasi ◽  
Ahmed Al-Rawahi ◽  
Javid Hussain

The properties ofBoswelliaplants have been exploited for millennia in the traditional medicines of Africa, China, and especially in the Indian Ayurveda. In Western countries, the advent of synthetic drugs has obscured the pharmaceutical use ofBoswellia, until it was reported that an ethanolic extract exerts anti-inflammatory and antiarthritic effects. Frankincense was commonly used for medicinal purposes. This paper aims to provide an overview of current knowledge of the volatile constituents of frankincense, with explicit consideration concerning the diverseBoswelliaspecies. Altogether, more than 340 volatiles inBoswelliahave been reported in the literature. In particular, a broad diversity has been found in the qualitative and quantitative composition of the volatiles with respect to different varieties ofBoswellia. A detailed discussion of the various biological activities ofBoswelliafrankincense is also presented.


2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (21) ◽  
pp. 8364
Author(s):  
Marco Festa ◽  
Clementina Sansone ◽  
Christophe Brunet ◽  
Fabio Crocetta ◽  
Luisa Di Paola ◽  
...  

Growing interest in hypertension—one of the main factors characterizing the cardiometabolic syndrome (CMS)—and anti-hypertensive drugs raised from the emergence of a new coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, responsible for the COVID19 pandemic. The virus SARS-CoV-2 employs the Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), a component of the RAAS (Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosterone System) system, as a receptor for entry into the cells. Several classes of synthetic drugs are available for hypertension, rarely associated with severe or mild adverse effects. New natural compounds, such as peptides, might be useful to treat some hypertensive patients. The main feature of ACE inhibitory peptides is the location of the hydrophobic residue, usually Proline, at the C-terminus. Some already known bioactive peptides derived from marine resources have potential ACE inhibitory activity and can be considered therapeutic agents to treat hypertension. Peptides isolated from marine vertebrates, invertebrates, seaweeds, or sea microorganisms displayed important biological activities to treat hypertensive patients. Here, we reviewed the anti-hypertensive activities of bioactive molecules isolated/extracted from marine organisms and discussed the associated molecular mechanisms involved. We also examined ACE2 modulation in sight of SARS2-Cov infection prevention.


Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (7) ◽  
pp. 1916
Author(s):  
Zaw Min Thu ◽  
Sann Myint Oo ◽  
Thinn Myat Nwe ◽  
Hnin Thanda Aung ◽  
Chabaco Armijos ◽  
...  

The species Dracaena and Sansevieria, that are well-known for different uses in traditional medicines and as indoor ornamental plants with air purifying property, are rich sources of bioactive secondary metabolites. In fact, a wide variety of phytochemical constituents have been isolated so far from about seventeen species. This paper has reviewed the literature of about 180 steroidal saponins, isolated from Dracaena and Sansevieria species, as a basis for further studies. Saponins are among the most characteristic metabolites isolated from the two genera. They show a great variety in structural motifs and a wide range of biological activities, including anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, anti-proliferative effects and, in most case, remarkable cytotoxic properties.


Author(s):  
ALFRED MAROYI

Lannea schimperi is a well-known fruit tree and medicinal plant in tropical Africa. The current study critically reviewed the botany, medicinal uses, phytochemistry, and pharmacological activities of L. schimperi. Literature on botany, medicinal uses, phytochemical and biological activities of L. schimperi were collected from multiple internet sources including Elsevier, Google Scholar, SciFinder, Web of Science, PubMed, BMC, ScienceDirect, and Scopus. Complementary information was gathered from pre-electronic sources such as books, book chapters, theses, scientific reports, and journal articles obtained from the University Library. This study revealed that the species is used as a source of fiber, edible fruits, and herbal medicine. Phytochemical compounds identified from the species include cyclohexenones, cardanols, alkaloids, anthocyanins, anthracene glycosides, carbohydrates, cardiac glycosides, carotenoids, condensed tannins, coumarins, flavonoids, phenolic glycosides, phenols, polyoses, polyuronoids, reducing sugars, saponins, steroids, tannins, triterpenoids, and volatile compounds. Pharmacological research revealed that extracts and phytochemical constituents isolated from L. schimperi have anesthetic, antibacterial, antifungal, anticoccidial, anti-inflammatory, antinociceptive, antioxidant, anti-trypanosoma, antiulcerogenic, cytotoxicity, and toxicity activities. L. schimperi should be subjected to detailed phytochemical, pharmacological, and toxicological evaluations aimed at correlating its medicinal uses with its phytochemistry and pharmacological activities of the species.


Molecules ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 23 (10) ◽  
pp. 2708 ◽  
Author(s):  
Enas Mohamed Eliaser ◽  
Jun Hui Ho ◽  
Najihah Mohd. Hashim ◽  
Yaya Rukayadi ◽  
Gwendoline Cheng Lian Ee ◽  
...  

Natural products, either pure compounds or standardized plant extracts, have provided opportunities for the discovery of new drugs. Nowadays, most of the world’s population still relies on traditional medicines for healthcare purposes. Plants, in particular, are always used as traditional medicine, as they contain a diverse number of phytochemicals that can be used for the treatment of diseases. The multicomponent feature in the plants is considered a positive phytotherapeutic hallmark. Hence, ethnopharmacognosy has been the focus for finding alternative treatments for diseases. Melicope lunu-ankenda, also known as Euodia lunu-ankenda, is widely distributed in tropical regions of Asia. Different parts of M. lunu-ankenda have been used for treatment of hypertension, menstrual disorder, diabetes, and fever, and as an emmenagogue and tonic. It has also been consumed as salad and as a condiment for food flavorings. The justification of use of M. lunu-ankenda in folk medicines is supported by its reported biological activities, including its cytotoxic, antibacterial, antioxidant, analgesic, antidiabetic, and anti-inflammatory activities. This review summarizes the phytochemical compounds isolated from various parts of M. lunu-ankenda, such as root and leaves, and also its biological activities, which could make the species a new therapeutic agent for some diseases, including diabetes, in the future.


2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 9-16
Author(s):  
Peter Michael Dass ◽  
Joseph Jauro Deshi ◽  
Fartisincha Peingurta Andrew ◽  
Buba Mamman Wufem

Background: Plant’s kingdom provides new and important leads against various pharmacological targets due to the current wide spread of belief that green medicine is safe and more dependable than the costly synthetic drugs. The medicinal property of plants step from their ability to synthesize aromatic substances and secondary metabolites that are potent bioactive compounds found in medicinal plant parts that are precursors for the synthesis of useful drugs. In the present study, the leaf, stem, and root extracts of Waltheria americana were evaluated for phytochemical compositions and their correlation matrix. Methods: Quantitative and quantitative standard methods of analysis were used to evaluate the presence, amount, and the correlationships of the different phytochemicals in the leaf, root and stem of W. americana plant. Results: The quantitative phytochemicals percentage composition of W. americana varied with large ranges for alkaloids, tannins, flavonoids, but short ranges occurred of terpenes and cardiac glycosides. Alkaloids had the highest percentage composition and cardiac glycosides showed the lowest for all the plant parts. The stem seems to be the major area of phytochemical production than other parts of the plant, indicating that the stem of W. americana could serve as a major source of phytochemicals in any herbal concoction. “The correlation” of phytochemical constituents, alkaloids and tannins in the leaf were positively and significantly correlated with cardiac glycosides in the stem at 95% confidence respectiely. However, no correlation was observed of any phytochemicals in the other plant. Conclusion: These findings indicated that the production, quantification, and distribution of these phytochemicals were complimentary in nature in Waltheria americana plant, and the shoot may have played a major role in this regard


Author(s):  
K. Gouri Sankar ◽  
B. Sri Venkateswarlu ◽  
M. Venkata Ramana

Introduction: The emerging of new diseases, resistance to contemporary using drugs and inadequate usage of commonly available drugs leading to different side effects and sometimes to mortality. So, there is need to identify efficient drugs from easily available sources. Traditional medicines from medicinal plants have been using since ancient times to treat different diseases, are easily available herbal formulations and there were still many medicinal plants were unexplored about their therapeutic potentiality. So, the current research is aimed to explore phytochemical constituent and hepatoprotective potentiality of Elytraria acaulis on paracetamol-induced liver toxicity. Methodology: The root parts Elytraria acaulis were used for extraction through maceration procedure using hexane, ethyl acetate and hydro-alcoholic (70% ethanol). The dried extracts used for further for phytochemical analysis using standard procedures and evaluated liver protection on paracetamol-induced liver toxicity by estimating liver bio markable enzymes such as AST (SGOT), ALT (SGPT), ALP and total bilirubin levels. Results: Qualitative phytochemical screening of E. acaulis extracts revealed the presence of different phytochemical constituents like steroids, terpenoids, flavonoids, alkaloids, glycosides, phenols, tannins, saponins and carbohydrates in them. The hydroalcoholic extract has more flavonoid content i.e., 23.84±0.28 (mg/gm) than other two extracts. The tested three extracts of E. acaulis had showed concentration dependent hepatoprotective activity. Among three extracts hydro-alcoholic extract had more potentially compared to other two extracts. The percentage protection produced by the hydro-alcoholic extract on the enhancement of AST(SGOT), ALT (SGPT), ALP and total bilirubin levels were 21.54%, 21.94%, 21.20%, and 20.52%, 36.27%, 38.26%, 37.55% and 36.14%, 67.76%, 70.04%, 69.83% and 68.61% respectively. Conclusion: The Elytraria acaulis root extracts had showed significant biological activities and own different phytochemical constituents. The hydroalcoholic extract possess more phenolic, flavonoid contents and the same had showed more potentiality against liver toxicity. The current results offer vital information about the traditional medicinal value of it. The further research is valuable and is under progress in evaluation of different biological activities and isolation of individual bioactive molecules from E. acaulis.


Author(s):  
Harish Rajak ◽  
Murli Dhar Kharya ◽  
Pradeep Mishra

There are vast numbers of pharmacologically active heterocyclic compounds in regular clinical use. The presence of heterocyclic structures in diverse types of compounds is strongly indicative of the profound effects such structure exerts on physiologic activity, and recognition of this is abundantly reflected in efforts to find useful synthetic drugs. The 1,3,4-oxadiazole nucleus has emerged as one of the potential pharmacophore responsible for diverse pharmacological properties. Medical Literature is flooded with reports of a variety of biological activities of 2,5-Disubstituted-1,3,4-oxadiazoles. The present work is an attempt to summarize and enlist the various reports published on biologically active 2,5-disubstituted-1,3,4-oxadiazoles.


2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (12) ◽  
pp. 1955-1996 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonio Speciale ◽  
Antonella Saija ◽  
Romina Bashllari ◽  
Maria Sofia Molonia ◽  
Claudia Muscarà ◽  
...  

: Chronic Noncommunicable Diseases (NCDs), mostly represented by cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, chronic pulmonary diseases, cancers, and several chronic pathologies, are one of the main causes of morbidity and mortality, and are mainly related to the occurrence of metabolic risk factors. Anthocyanins (ACNs) possess a wide spectrum of biological activities, such as anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, cardioprotective and chemopreventive properties, which are able to promote human health. Although ACNs present an apparent low bioavailability, their metabolites may play an important role in the in vivo protective effects observed. : This article directly addresses the scientific evidences supporting that ACNs could be useful to protect human population against several NCDs not only acting as antioxidant but through their capability to modulate cell redox-dependent signaling. In particular, ACNs interact with the NF-κB and AP-1 signal transduction pathways, which respond to oxidative signals and mediate a proinflammatory effect, and the Nrf2/ARE pathway and its regulated cytoprotective proteins (GST, NQO, HO-1, etc.), involved in both cellular antioxidant defenses and elimination/inactivation of toxic compounds, so countering the alterations caused by conditions of chemical/oxidative stress. In addition, supposed crosstalks could contribute to explain the protective effects of ACNs in different pathological conditions characterized by an altered balance among these pathways. Thus, this review underlines the importance of specific nutritional molecules for human health and focuses on the molecular targets and the underlying mechanisms of ACNs against various diseases.


2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (9) ◽  
pp. 846-859
Author(s):  
Mohd Saeed ◽  
Mohd Adnan Kausar ◽  
Rajeev Singh ◽  
Arif J. Siddiqui ◽  
Asma Akhter

Glycation refers to the covalent binding of sugar molecules to macromolecules, such as DNA, proteins, and lipids in a non-enzymatic reaction, resulting in the formation of irreversibly bound products known as advanced glycation end products (AGEs). AGEs are synthesized in high amounts both in pathological conditions, such as diabetes and under physiological conditions resulting in aging. The body’s anti-glycation defense mechanisms play a critical role in removing glycated products. However, if this defense system fails, AGEs start accumulating, which results in pathological conditions. Studies have been shown that increased accumulation of AGEs acts as key mediators in multiple diseases, such as diabetes, obesity, arthritis, cancer, atherosclerosis, decreased skin elasticity, male erectile dysfunction, pulmonary fibrosis, aging, and Alzheimer’s disease. Furthermore, glycation of nucleotides, proteins, and phospholipids by α-oxoaldehyde metabolites, such as glyoxal (GO) and methylglyoxal (MGO), causes potential damage to the genome, proteome, and lipidome. Glyoxalase-1 (GLO-1) acts as a part of the anti-glycation defense system by carrying out detoxification of GO and MGO. It has been demonstrated that GLO-1 protects dicarbonyl modifications of the proteome and lipidome, thereby impeding the cell signaling and affecting age-related diseases. Its relationship with detoxification and anti-glycation defense is well established. Glycation of proteins by MGO and GO results in protein misfolding, thereby affecting their structure and function. These findings provide evidence for the rationale that the functional modulation of the GLO pathway could be used as a potential therapeutic target. In the present review, we summarized the newly emerged literature on the GLO pathway, including enzymes regulating the process. In addition, we described small bioactive molecules with the potential to modulate the GLO pathway, thereby providing a basis for the development of new treatment strategies against age-related complications.


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