Phytochemistry and Pharmacological Activities of Dracaena cinnabari Resin

Dracaena cinnabari (D. cinnabari) is an endemic plant located in Socotra Island, Yemen. Deep red resin attained from different plant species including D. cinnabari is commonly known as dragon’s blood. In folk medicine, it is prescribed for the treatment of traumatic dermal, dental, and eye injuries as well as blood stasis, pain, and gastrointestinal diseases in humans. Numerous studies have investigated that this resinous medicine has antidiarrheal, antiulcer, antimicrobial, antiviral, antitumor, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, wound healing, and antioxidant activity. Several phytochemicals have been isolated from D. cinnabari, including the biflavonoid cinnabarone, triflavonoids, metacyclophanes, chalcones, chalcanes, dihydrochalcones, sterols, and terpenoids. The present review highlights the structures and bioactivities of main phytochemicals isolated from D. cinnabari regarding the botany and pharmacological effects of the resin derived from this plant.

Exploring the historical distribution of Dracaena cinnabari using ethnobotanical knowledge on Socotra Island, Yemen

Background In this study, we present and analyze toponyms referring to Socotra Island’s endemic dragon’s blood tree (Dracaena cinnabari) in four areas on the Socotra Archipelago UNESCO World Heritage site (Republic of Yemen). The motivation is the understanding of the past distribution of D. cinnabari trees which is an important part of conservation efforts by using ethnobotanical data. We assumed that dragon’s blood trees had a wider distribution on Socotra Island in the past. Methods This research was based on field surveys and interviews with the indigenous people. The place names (toponyms) were recorded in both Arabic and the indigenous Socotri language. We grouped all toponyms into five different categories according to the main descriptor: terrain, human, plant, water, and NA (unknown). Also, this study identified current and historical Arabic names of dragon’s blood trees of the genus Dracaena through literature review. Results A total of 301 toponyms were recorded from the four study areas in Socotra Island. Among names related to plants, we could attribute toponyms to nine different plants species, of which six toponyms referred to the D. cinnabari tree, representing 14.63% of the total phytotoponyms in the category. Three historical naming periods prior to 2000 could be identified. The most commonly used name for dragon’s blood trees (D. cinnabari, D. serrulata, D. ombet) appears to be “ahrieb” “إعريهب” and its resin “dum al-akhawin” “دم الأخوين,” while derived (mixed-cooked) products are called “eda’a” “إيدع,” while regionally different names can be found. Conclusion The place names that refer to D. cinnabari are herein suggested to represent remnant areas of once large populations. Therefore, the toponyms may support known hypotheses based on climate models that D. cinnabari had a wider distribution on Socotra Island in the past. This study also confirmed the historical importance of dragon’s blood.

Exploring the historical distribution of Dracaena cinnabari using ethnobotanical knowledge on Socotra Island, Yemen

BackgroundIn this study, we present and analyze toponyms referring to Socotra Island’s endemic dragon’s blood tree (Dracaena cinnabari) in four areas of the Socotra Archipelago UNESCO World Heritage site (Republic of Yemen). The motivation is understanding of the past distribution of D. cinnabari trees which is an important part of conservation efforts by using ethnobotanical data. We assumed that dragon’s blood trees had a wider distribution on Socotra Island in the past. MethodsThis research was based on field surveys and interviews with the indigenous people. The place names (toponyms) were recorded in both, Arabic and indigenous Socotri language. We grouped all toponyms into five different categories according to the main descriptor: Terrain, Human, Plant, Water and NA (unknown). In addition, this study identified current and historical Arabic names of dragon’s blood trees of the genus Dracaena, through literature review. ResultsA total of 301 toponyms were recorded from the four study areas in Socotra Island. Among names related to plants, we could attribute toponyms to nine different plant species, of which six names referred to the D. cinnabari tree, representing 14.63% of total phytotoponyms in the category. Three historical naming periods prior to 2000 could be identified. The most commonly used Arabic name for dragon’s blood trees (D. cinnabari, D. serrulata. D. ombet) appears to be “ahrieb” "إعريهب", its resin “dum al-akhawin” “دم الأخوين”, while derived (mixed-cooked) products are called “edah” “إيدع”; while regionally different names can be found.ConclusionThe place names that refer to D. cinnabari are herein suggested to represent remnant areas of once large populations. The toponyms may therefore support known hypotheses based on climate models that D. cinnabari had a wider distribution on Socotra Island in the past. This study also confirmed the historical importance of dragon’s blood

β-Caryophyllene: A Single Volatile Component of n-Hexane Extract of Dracaena cinnabari Resin

The pure Soqotri resin of Dracaena cinnabari Balf.f. (Dracaenaceae) has no volatile smell due to its low content of volatile constituents. Although it is insoluble in n-Hexane, we found that the resin, when suspended in n-Hexane within five days at 5 °C, led to the extraction of a small portion of a single volatile liquid constituent, which was identified by GC-MS as sesquiterpene β-caryophyllene. This method of extracting the volatile constituents using hexane under cooling is very suitable for resins of the Dracaena species because these resins usually contain very few volatile terpenes and/or non-terpenes, and they may contain only one volatile terpene per resin as this study result. β-Caryophyllene was identified and separated for the first time from the Soqotri standard resin of Dracaena cinnabari. Therefore, β-caryophyllene, as a new chemical property, can support to evaluate the purity of the Soqotri resin. Moreover, a big mass of D. cinnabari resin can yield concentrated β-caryophyllene as a liquid extract for further pharmaceutical and nutraceutical applications.

Germination of Dracaena cinnabari Balf.f. Seeds under Controlled Temperature Conditions

Research highlights: This study is focused on the germination of Dracaena cinnabari seeds in order to discover the possibility of natural and artificial regeneration of this species. Background and Objectives: This study aimed to determine the optimal temperature for D. cinnabari seed germination, e.g., the temperature at which the germination percentage and germination rate (vitality) are the highest. The objectives of this study are to: (1) determine the optimal temperature for the germination of D. cinnabari seeds, (2) compare the suitability of different seed collection methods, and (3) compare the germination parameters of seeds that were collected from different localities. The results of this study will contribute to obtaining the highest number of seedlings from limited seed material for reforestation of the most endangered localities of D. cinnabari species. Materials and methods: Four seed sections were employed. These sections were directly collected from either the fruits of a cut panicle or the ground and were obtained from different localities that differ in altitude. The seeds were tested in a greenhouse while using Petri dishes at three different temperatures—22, 26, and 30 °C—with four replicates of 25 seeds of each section. ANOVA and the t-test were employed for data analysis. Results: The highest germination percentages (GPs) were achieved at 26 °C and 30 °C, which were 84.6% and 82.5%, respectively. The ANOVA and t-test results showed that the germination index (GI) of the species was relatively higher at a temperature of 30 °C relative to that at other temperatures in the study. Although seeds that were collected from the tree achieved a higher GP, the t-test result showed no significant differences in the GI of D. cinnabari seeds that were collected from the ground and from the tree (p > 0.05). Overall, the findings of this study show that temperature has substantial influence on the germination of seeds of D. cinnabari. Therefore, we recommend a temperature of 30 °C to facilitate the germination of D. cinnabari, as it achieved the highest GI at this temperature relative to that at the other temperatures (22 °C, 26 °C) applied in this study.

Local Management System of Dragon’s Blood Tree (Dracaena cinnabari Balf. f.) Resin in Firmihin Forest, Socotra Island, Yemen

Various nontimber forest products (NTFPs) are produced from the forests and woodlands of Yemen. Dragon’s blood tree resin is one of the commercial NTFPs in Yemen and is produced by tapping Dracaena cinnabari trees, which are listed as vulnerable by the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Red List. By applying a forest resource assessment, the present study inventoried the D. cinnabari forest with the aim of identifying and evaluating its structure, the harvesting status of the resin, and the current management system. The study was conducted in the Firmihin forest, Socotra Island, Yemen Republic. The forest resource assessment was carried out through a forest inventory by measuring trees from 12 plots following stratified random sampling. The relevant parameters of a total of 819 trees were measured, including the tree height, stem height of lowest branches, height of the highest wound, diameter at breast height (DBH), and presence of wounds. The wounds were measured on a total of 401 trees. Value chain analysis (VCA) was used to clarify the flow of dragon’s blood tree resin from the producers to the local, national, and international markets. Traditional management was examined using questionnaires in the case study area and surrounding villages. There are two tapping techniques: (1) collecting the pure dragon’s blood tree resin and (2) cutting part of the bark along with the pure resin. The second technique resulted in 84% of the trees having wounds. The tappers were mostly from the community in and around the forest. The study found that the traditional management system of tapping dragon’s blood tree resin is not sustainable.

IN VITRO EVALUATION OF HYPOLIPIDEMIC EFFECT OF EXTRACTS OF MEDICINAL DRACAENA CINNABARI BALF. F. RESIN

Objective: The objective of the study was to in vitro evaluate of hypolipidemic effect of extracts of medicinal Dracaena cinnabari Balf. f. resin. Methods: About 800 g of dry powder of the resin of dracaena cinnabar was taken in a Soxhlet apparatus and subjected for sequential extraction of solvents from non-polar to polar end (hexane, benzene, diethyl ether, dichloromethane, chloroform, ethyl acetate, acetone, ethanol, methanol, and water); the extract samples were kept at 4°C for further assays. All the extracts were subjected to glucose uptake assay. Results: The ethanol extract showed significant (p<0.05) hypolipidemic effect by decreasing the activity of enzyme such as significant reduction in the pancreatic lipase enzyme, malic dehydrogenase enzyme, and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase enzyme with IC50~13, ~13, and ~14, respectively. This results were similar to the standard drug atorvastatin with IC50~12, ~16, and ~17, respectively. Ethanol extract exhibited significant atherogenic index and percentage protection against hyperlipidemia. The potential biological activity of ethanol extract may be attributed to the highest polarity which needs further investigation.