Antinociceptive activity of Malvastrum coromandelinum

A comprehensive review on the ethnobotanical, phytochemical, and pharmacological aspects of the genus Malvastrum

The genus Malvastrum, from the family Malvaceae, is a small genus of twenty four species, distributed worldwide. Some of the species have a long and rich history of ethnobotanical and traditional medicinal uses. Few reports of systematic scientific studies can be found in the literature which highlight the rich chemical profile and pharmacological properties of the genus. This is the first ever attempt to compile the available literature and provide a critical overview for future studies on the genus. For this purpose, several databases, such as PubMed, Scifinder, Elsevier, Google Scholar, and others were utilized. Literature records the presence of bioactive metabolites in the genus, effective against dysentery, gastrointestinal distress, fever, enteritis, hepatitis, cough, sore throat, arthritis, and diabetes. Seventy four biologically active secondary metabolites have been identified from different species of Malvastrum, including four pure isolates. Furthermore, this report also documents their potential properties. This article may prove as a milestone for new researchers, eager to work on Malvastrum species and perform further in-depth studies on this genus.

Pharmacognostic and phytochemical investigation of the leaves of Malvastrum coromandelianum (L.) Garcke

Background:

Malvastrum coromandelianum belongs to the family Malvaceae, commonly known as false mallow. Ethnobotanical survey revealed that it is used to treat various disorders. Pharmacological screening revealed that the plant possess antinoceceptive, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and antibacterial activities. Lack of standardization parameters for herbal raw material is a great hindrance in ensuring the purity of M. coromandelianum. The present work was taken up to with a focus to set standardization parameters for M. coromandelianum.

Materials and Methods:

The plant was subjected to macroscopic and microscopic studies. Physicochemical parameters such as ash value and extractive value were determined by standard procedures. Different extracts were screened for the presence of secondary metabolites. Phenolic and flavonoid contents were estimated. Plant was subjected for high performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC) analysis using standard chromatographic procedure.

Result:

The microscopic characteristics showed the dorsiventral nature of leaf. Two types of trichomes were observed: Covering, unicellular, uniseriate, and bi-cellular head sessile glandular. Vascular bundle was surrounded by spongy parenchyma. Phytochemical screening revealed the presence alkaloids, tannins, amino acid proteins, and carbohydrates. The phenolic and flavonoid content estimation revealed the presence of appreciable amount of these constituents, while HPTLC analysis showed the presence of β-sitosterol in petroleum ether extract.

Conclusion:

These findings will be useful for the establishment of standardization parameters for M. coromandelianum.