Garcinia oligantha: A comprehensive overview of ethnomedicine, phytochemistry and pharmacology

Targeting chemokine-receptor mediated molecular signaling by ethnopharmacological approaches

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Infection and inflammation are critical to global human health status and the goal of current pharmacological interventions intends formulating medications/preventives as a measure to deal with this situation. Chemokines and their cognate receptors are major regulatory molecules in many of these ailments. Natural products have been a keen source to the drug development industry, every year contributing significantly to the growing list of FDA approved drugs. A multiverse of natural resource is employed as a part of curative regimen in folk/traditional/ethnomedicine which can be employed to discover, repurpose, and design potent medications for the diseases of clinical concern.

AIM OF THE STUDY

This review aims to systematically document the ethnopharmacologically active agents targeting the infectious-inflammatory diseases through the chemokine-receptor nexus.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Articles related to chemokine/receptor modulating ethnopharmacological anti-inflammatory, anti-infectious natural sources, bioactive compounds, and formulations have been examined with special emphasis on women related diseases. The available literature has been thoroughly scrutinized for the application of traditional medicines in chemokine associated experimental methods, their regulatory outcomes, and pertinence to women's health wherever applicable. Moreover, the potential traditional regimens under clinical trials have been critically assessed.

RESULTS

A systematic and comprehensive review on the chemokine-receptor targeting ethnopharmaceutics from the available literature has been provided. The article discusses the implication of traditional medicine in the chemokine system dynamics in diverse infectious-inflammatory disorders such as cardiovascular diseases, allergic diseases, inflammatory diseases, neuroinflammation, and cancer. On this note, critical evaluation of the available data surfaced multiple diseases prevalent in women such as osteoporosis, rheumatoid arthritis, breast cancer, cervical cancer and urinary tract infection. Currently there is no available literature highlighting chemokine-receptor targeting using traditional medicinal approach from women's health perspective. Moreover, despite being potent in vitro and in vivo setups there remains a gap in clinical translation of these formulations, which needs to be strategically and scientifically addressed to pave the way for their successful industrial translation.

CONCLUSIONS

The review provides an optimistic global perspective towards the applicability of ethnopharmacology in chemokine-receptor regulated infectious and inflammatory diseases with special emphasis on ailments prevalent in women, consecutively addressing their current status of clinical translation and future directions.

Effects of Ethanolic and Aqueous Extracts of Garcinia gardneriana Leaves in an In Vivo Experimental Model Induced by a Hyperlipidic Diet

The study of medicinal plants, such as the genus Garcinia (Clusiaceae), in the treatment of non-communicable chronic diseases has aroused the interest of researchers. However, there are no studies in the literature that have investigated the effects of Garcinia gardneriana in experimental models of obesity for possible metabolic alterations. Swiss mice receiving a high-fat diet were supplemented with aqueous or ethanolic extract of G. gardneriana at doses of 200 or 400 mg/kg/day. It was found that there was a reduction in food consumption in experimental groups compared with the control groups, and the group supplemented with aqueous extract at a dose of 200 mg/kg/daydisplayed a reduction in weight. The results showed an increase in the values of high density lipoprotein (HDL-c), total cholesterol, triglycerides and fasting blood glucose. G. gardneriana did not protect against insulin resistance, and caused in an increase in monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) concentrations and a reduction in interleukin 10 (IL-10). In addition, hepatic steatosis and microvesicular steatosis were indicated. It was revealed that, under the experimental conditions in the study, G. gardneriana did not prevent weight gain or comorbidities; that is, a different behavior was obtained from that described in the literature with regard to the medicinal potential of the Garcinia species, which is probably related to the phytochemical properties.