Research on african medicinal plants

Ethnobotanical uses, phytochemistry and pharmacology of pantropical genus Zanthoxylum L. (Rutaceae): An update

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Plants have been used in various parts of the world to treat various diseases. The genus Zanthoxylum L. (Rutaceae) is the second largest genus of this family and comprises approximately 225-549 species distributed in the tropical and temperate regions of the world. Plants of this genus are trees and shrubs with various applications in folklore medicine for food, medicine, construction, and other uses.

AIM OF THE REVIEW

The goal of this review is to give an updated data on the ethnobotanical applications, phytochemistry, and pharmacology of the Zanthoxylum species to investigate their medicinal potential and identify research gaps for future research studies.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Data was obtained through a systematic search of published literature and online databases such as Google Scholar, Web of Science, PubMed, Science Direct, and Sci-Finder. The botanical names were confirmed using the World Flora Online and chemical structures were drawn using the ChemBio Draw Ultra Version 14.0 Software.

RESULTS

The Zanthoxylum species have a wide use in different parts of the continents as a remedy for various diseases such as digestive diseases, gastrointestinal disorders, venereal diseases, respiratory diseases, rheumatism, bacterial diseases, viral, and other diseases. Various parts of the plant comprising fruits, seeds, twigs, leaves, oils, and stems are administered singly or in the form of decoction, infusion, powder, paste, poultice, juice, or mixed with other medicinal plants to cure the disease. More than 400 secondary metabolites have been isolated and characterized in this genus with various biological activities, which comprise alkaloids, flavonoids, coumarins, lignans, alcohols, fatty acids, amides, sesquiterpenes, monoterpenes, and hydrocarbons. The crude extracts, fractions, and chemical compounds isolated from the genus have demonstrated a wide range of biological activities both in vivo and in vitro, including; anti-cancer, antimicrobial, anti-sickling, hepatoprotective, antipyretic, antitumor, and other pharmacological activities.

CONCLUSION

This genus has demonstrated an array of phytoconstituents with therapeutic potential. The ethnobotanical uses of this genus have been confirmed in modern pharmacological research. This genus is a potential source for modern drug discovery and health care products. Further and extensive research is therefore required on the safety approval and therapeutic application of the species of this genus as well as clinical trials and pharmacokinetic studies.

Coumarins from Cedrelopsis grevei (Ptaeroxylaceae)

The stem bark of Cedrelopsis grevei Baill. has yielded the first reported examples of 5-prenylated coumarins, cedrecoumarin A and B as well as the known coumarins, cedrelopsin, scoparone, O-methylcedrelopsin and norbraylin, and the known chromones ptaeroglycol and ptaeroxylinol.

Chemical constituents and biological activities of Zanthoxylum usambarense

Bioassay-guided fractionation of the dichloromethane extracts of the roots and the bark of Zanthoxylum usambarense led to the isolation of two physiologically active compounds, i.e. canthin-6-one 1 (fungicide) and pellitorine 4 (insecticide). Together with oxychelerythrine 2, norchelerythrine 3, (+)-sesamin 5 and (+)-piperitol-3,3-dimethylallyl ether 6, they were isolated for the first time from this plant.