Ethnobotany, phytochemistry, pharmacology, and toxicity of Centella asiatica (L.) Urban: A comprehensive review

The well-known medicinal plant Centella asiatica (L.) Urban is an Ayurvedic and traditional Chinese medicine used in the treatment of different health problems and as an edible vegetable in a regular diet. Ease of availability in the wide range of environmental conditions plus low-cost cultivation process has made the plant popular in ethno-medicinal healthcare systems. In the present review, phytochemical analysis of plant-extract and pharmacological activities of bioactive-compounds are discussed based upon the available reports to understand their therapeutic potentialities along with the mechanisms behind. The results exhibited that C. asiatica and its triterpenoids demonstrated an array of pharmacological effects and health benefits, some of which were confirmed in many preclinical and clinical studies. Those reports also provided considerable evidences in support of the principles of folk treatment in different countries. Increase and maintenance of the prospective plant secondary metabolites would provide an enriched resource of drug molecules. Development of suitable derivatives of the therapeutic compounds can give an assurance for getting more effective drug candidates with reduced side effects. The review also enumerates the application of advanced nanotechnology, toxicology, and clinical-trial reports on the plant with notes on the shortcomings in the present research and future perspectives of using this medicinal plant.

Mitoprotective Effects of Centella asiatica (L.) Urb.: Anti-Inflammatory and Neuroprotective Opportunities in Neurodegenerative Disease

Natural products remain a crucial source of drug discovery for accessible and affordable solutions for healthy aging. Centella asiatica (L.) Urb. (CA) is an important medicinal plant with a wide range of ethnomedicinal uses. Past in vivo and in vitro studies have shown that the plant extract and its key components, such as asiatic acid, asiaticoside, madecassic acid and madecassoside, exhibit a range of anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, and cognitive benefits mechanistically linked to mitoprotective and antioxidant properties of the plant. Mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress are key drivers of aging and neurodegenerative disease, including Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. Here we appraise the growing body of evidence that the mitoprotective and antioxidative effects of CA may potentially be harnessed for the treatment of brain aging and neurodegenerative disease.

Centella asiatica - Phytochemistry and mechanisms of neuroprotection and cognitive enhancement

This review describes in detail the phytochemistry and neurological effects of the medicinal herb Centella asiatica (L.) Urban. C. asiatica is a small perennial plant that grows in moist, tropical and sub-tropical regions throughout the world. Phytochemicals identified from C. asiatica to date include isoprenoids (sesquiterpenes, plant sterols, pentacyclic triterpenoids and saponins) and phenylpropanoid derivatives (eugenol derivatives, caffeoylquinic acids, and flavonoids). Contemporary methods for fingerprinting and characterization of compounds in C. asiatica extracts include liquid chromatography and/or ion mobility spectrometry in conjunction with high-resolution mass spectrometry. Multiple studies in rodent models, and a limited number of human studies support C. asiatica's traditional reputation as a cognitive enhancer, as well as its anxiolytic and anticonvulsant effects. Neuroprotective effects of C.asiatica are seen in several in vitro models, for example against beta amyloid toxicity, and appear to be associated with increased mitochondrial activity, improved antioxidant status, and/or inhibition of the pro-inflammatory enzyme, phospholipase A2. Neurotropic effects of C. asiatica include increased dendritic arborization and synaptogenesis, and may be due to modulations of signal transduction pathways such as ERK1/2 and Akt. Many of these neurotropic and neuroprotective properties of C.asiatica have been associated with the triterpene compounds asiatic acid, asiaticoside and madecassoside. More recently, caffeoylquinic acids are emerging as a second important group of active compounds in C. asiatica, with the potential of enhancing the Nrf2-antioxidant response pathway. The absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion of the triterpenes, caffeoylquinic acids and flavonoids found in C. asiatica have been studied in humans and animal models, and the compounds or their metabolites found in the brain. This review highlights the remarkable potential for C. asiatica extracts and derivatives to be used in the treatment of neurological conditions, and considers the further research needed to actualize this possibility.