Trends in Phytochemical Research
Volume:6 Issue: 4, Autumn 2022

There are a broad variety of classes of bioactive compounds that have already been isolated from Cymbopogon schoenanthus (L.) Spreng. (Poaceae). The phytochemical composition of C. schoenanthus has recently received considerable interest and a vast array of components including terpenes, diterpenes and sesquiterpenes as well as phenolic acids have been characterized. The contribution of these valued metabolites to the biological potential, includes inhibiting kidney stone formation, antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-proliferative, anti-inflammatory, anticonvulsant, and nephroprotective activities has also been explored. The structural diversity, selectivity for C. schoenanthus, and biological effects of the reported isolated constituents have generated a huge interest in the field of drug discovery research. Therefore, phytochemical, pharmacological, and biopharmaceutical characteristics of components identified from C. schoenanthus since 1975 are the topic of this comprehensive review.

The tree Cryptocarya concinna Hance is largely distributed in southeast Asia and essentially used for its robust wood. Alcoholic extracts made from the leaves or roots of the plant have revealed anti-inflammatory and anticancer properties. The DNA-damaging dihydrochalcone derivative cryptocaryone accounts for the anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic activities observed with the extracts. Other bioactive products have been isolated, including α-pyrone derivatives such as cryptoconcatones A-L and flavonoids such as cryptoconones A-E. A structural analogy is underlined between cryptoconcatone D and two known compounds with an α,β-unsaturated δ-lactone: pironetin and the styryl-lactone goniothalamin which targets the peroxisomal protein MFE2 (multifunctional enzyme type2). Pironetin is a potent α-tubulin binder with robust anticancer properties. By analogy, the binding of cryptoconcatone D to the pironetin-site of α-tubulin is proposed. The review shed light on the phytochemical constituents of Cryptocarya concinna and the biological properties of α,β-unsaturated lactone compounds isolated from this little studied plant.

The MeOH extract of the ripe fruits of Nauclea latifolia Sm. (Rubiaceae) showed potent antileishmanial activity in vitro during preliminary screening (IC50 = 2.20 µg/mL) against Leishmania donovani 1S (MHOM/SD/62/1S) promastigotes. Three of the four fractions of this extract showed moderate to good activities (7.06 ≤ IC50 ≤ 91.21 µg/mL) on the same strain. The purification of the fractions through CC yielded fifteen compounds whose structures were established based on their MS and NMR data. All the isolated compounds were assessed for their antileishmanial activity against L. donovani and for their cytotoxicity towards Raw 264.7 macrophage cells. 2,6-Dimethoxybenzoquinone (1) and hederagenin (6) showed good antileishmanial activity with IC50 values of 9.94 and 19.3 µM, respectively. Compound 1 was not selective, while compound 6 displayed a good selectivity towards raw 264.7 macrophage cells (SI > 7.82). These results indicate that the extract from N. latifolia fruits could be considered as a source of leishmaniacidal agents.

In Yoruba, southwestern Nigeria, Sphenocentrum jollyanum Pierre is known as “Akerejupon”. S. jollyanum is commonly used in traditional medicine to treat a variety of ailments because of its diverse biological activities. However, a thorough examination of the traditional, pharmacological, and phytochemical properties of S. jollyanum is yet lacking. Different plant organs are used as aphrodisiacs, treatments for chronic illnesses including coughs and ulcers, and for malaria by traditional medicinal practitioners. The pharmacological activities of this plant include anti-diabetic, antioxidant, hepatoprotective, anti-inflammatory, antimalarial, anti-allergy, antimicrobial, among others. Some of the isolated compounds from this plant are columbin, isocolumbin, fibleucin, atrotosterone A, pinnatasterone, polypodine B, and 20-hydroxyecdysone. In order to explore this plant for further research and to know its potential effect towards pharmaceutics, the present review aims to provide an updated summary of documents sourced from recent publications regarding ethnomedicinal uses, pharmacology, and phytochemistry of S. jollyanum.

In the field of ethnopharmacology, precise identification of collected medicinal plants plays an important role to take a plant-derived compound from local traditional healers to the pharmacy. Therefore, this study is concerned with botanical research on medicinal plants of Semnan province (Iran). According to 379 collected herbarium specimens, 244 medicinal species belonging to 66 plant families and 102 genera were identified. The largest families were Lamiaceae (29 species), Asteraceae (27 species), and Fabaceae (19 species). The most frequently used plant organs were leaves and aerial parts. The most treated used category was the digestive system, followed by the metabolic and immune system, urological problems, respiratory system, gynecology, and dermatological problems. The outstanding therapeutic effects of some less widely known species which traditionally are used among indigenous people were reviewed. The fundamental role of botanists in pharmacological research and the disadvantages of wrong identifications in this field were highlighted.

The species of the genus Tetracera are utilized as remedies for various illnesses and infections including backache, haemorrhoids, diabetes, jaundice, scurvy, cough, and tooth pain. The root, stem bark, and leaves of these medicinal plants display several physiological activities. The phytochemicals reportedly present in the species include tannins, flavonoids, cardiac glycosides, saponins, phlobatannins, terpenoids, and flavonoids. Ethanol extract or fraction of plants in this genus mostly yielded flavonoids with significant antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antidiabetic activities. However, few compounds have been isolated so far from the species, which include pentacyclic lupane-type triterpene derivatives and flavonoids, of which betulinic acid remains the mostly investigated compound. This review documented up-to-date information on folkloric uses, isolated compounds, and pharmacological activities of medicinal plants in Tetracera species.

The current report concerns with phytochemical and biological analysis of the organic extracts with different polarities, e.g., methanol, ethanol, ethyl acetate and acetone from some organs of Etlingera velutina (Ridl.) R. M. Sm (leaves, rhizomes and stems). This study revealed remarkable antioxidant potentialities of the prepared extracts using DPPH and β-carotene bleaching (BCB) assays as well as notable antibacterial features using disc diffusion and minimum inhibitory concentration methods. More importantly, the antiproliferative of methanolic extracts of the plant parts was evaluated against human prostate adenocarcinoma cell line using MTT assay.