Antioxidant Activity of Medicinal Plants from Southeastern Kazakhstan

The geranium genus: A comprehensive study on ethnomedicinal uses, phytochemical compounds, and pharmacological importance

The geranium genus consists of about 400 species, which have been utilized for a long time in ancient medical practices throughout the world. As a result, herbal medications based on species are commonly utilized to treat a range of illnesses. This investigation aims to provide an extensive assessment of the literature on the phytochemistry, ethnomedicinal and pharmacological importance of the genus Geranium. Data were collected through systemic computer searches among the most reputable scientific databases, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and Scopus. Occasionally, information published as peer-reviewed literature was added to data from sources that these databases do not include. This review includes all published works through the end of 2022. The assessment of the biological characteristics of medicinal plant species in the genus Geranium has received a great deal of attention, primarily in the last 20 years, in tandem with the growing interest in herbal remedies in general. The detailed and systematic comparative analysis presented here provides valuable information on the current Geranium species. It paves the way for other beneficial species of Geranium to be studied in the fields of ethnobotany, phytochemistry, and new drug discovery.

A review of the traditional uses, phytochemistry, pharmacology, and clinical evidence for the use of the genus Alchemilla (Rosaceae)

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

The genus Alchemilla L. (lady's mantle) comprises 1000 species, of which more than 300 have been characterized from Europe. Notably, as folk medicines, Alchemilla species have long been prescribed for the treatment of dysmenorrhea, pruritus vulvae, menopausal complaints, and related diseases in women. This review summarizes the traditional uses, highlights promising plant species, and focuses on phytochemical and biological studies to highlight future areas of research.

AIM OF THE REVIEW

This literature review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of Alchemilla species, covering their botany, traditional uses, phytochemistry, and biological and pharmacological activities, and to summarize the current research status to better understand the application value of Alchemilla plants in modern phytotherapy.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The search strategy utilized the major thematic platforms Reaxys, Web of Science, Google Scholar, Scopus, ScienceDirect, PubMed, the USDA Plant Database and Kew Science (Royal Botanic Gardens) and was performed with the term Alchemilla. These platforms were systematically searched for articles published from 1960 to 2023.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Alchemilla species, as members of the Rosaceae family, produce tannins, phenolic acids, flavonoids, anthocyanins, coumarins, triterpenes and violet compounds. Effort has been made with this comprehensive review of Alchemilla plants to highlight the recent developments and milestones achieved in modern phytochemistry and phytotherapy, underlaying a broad spectrum of the activities of these plants, such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, antimicrobial, antiobesity, cardiovascular, anticancer, and wound healing effects.

CONCLUSIONS

An increasing number of studies on the plants in the Alchemilla genus have provided data about the main constituents and their importance in modern medicine. Both in vitro and in vivo studies have indicated that Alchemilla plants possess an extensive spectrum of biological activities. Regardless of the remarkable medical potential of Alchemilla extracts, clinical studies are limited and need to be performed to produce safer and less expensive plant-based drugs.

Traditional Uses, Nutritional and Pharmacological Potentials of Clerodendrum volubile

Clerodendrum volubile is an underutilized leafy vegetable consumed in some parts of Nigeria. The interest in C. volubile has continued to increase due to its multipurpose values, including traditional uses, nutritional properties, and some therapeutic potentials; however, the pharmacological prospects of the plant are yet to be fully explored. Therefore, in the present review, different databases such as PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Google Scholar, etc. were explored to retrieve publications used to write this review. The pharmacological potentials of C. volubile, such as anticancer, antioxidant, antiviral, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, hepatoprotective, antidiabetic, and anti-hypertensive properties, were highlighted. The toxicological potential of the plant is also discussed. Proposed mechanisms that underline its biological activities include modulation of redox homeostasis, leading to decreased oxidative stress; down-regulation of matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) expression; inhibition of key enzymes implicated in diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and neurological diseases; and inhibition of oxidative burst and inflammatory cytokines. Furthermore, the prospect of endophytes from C. volubile as a bioresource to produce novel therapeutic agents, as well as the development of nanotherapeutics from the plant extracts and its phytoconstituents, are discussed. In conclusion, C. volubile possesses an enormous number of possible pharmacological properties and therapeutic potentials waiting to be explored.

Isolation of Chemical Compounds and Essential Oil from Agrimonia asiatica Juz. and Their Antimicrobial and Antiplasmodial Activities

Agrimonia asiatica is a perennial plant with deep green color and covered with soft hairs and has a slightly aromatic odor. This genus Agrimonia has been used in traditional medicines of China, Greece, and European countries. It was mainly used as a haemostatic, a tonic for asthenia, and an astringent for diarrhea. Agrimony is part of the division Magnoliophyta; class is represented by order Rosales, family Rosaceae, of the genus Agrimonia. Family Rosaceae—or pink eels—is one of the largest families of flowering plants, including about 100 genera and 3000 species. Rosaceae is common in almost all areas of the globe where flowering plants can grow, but most of them are concentrated in the temperate and subtropical zones of the Northern Hemisphere. Phytochemical investigation on ethanolic extract of A. asiatica led to isolation of four flavonoid derivatives (kaempferol-3-glycoside, quercetin-3-O-α-arabinofuranosyl-β-D-galactopyranoside, 3-O-kaempherol 2,3-di-O-acetyl-4-O-(cis-p-coumaroyl)-6-O-(trans-p-coumaroyl)-β-D-glucosopyranoside, and catechin) alongside of sucrose. All the extracts, fractions, and isolated compounds were tested for antimicrobial and antiplasmodial activities. We also studied the chemical composition of essential oil obtained from the aerial part of A. asiatica. The essential oil constituents from the aerial part of A. asiatica were obtained using a steam-distillation method in wild growing conditions in Kazakhstan. The essential oil extracted from the aerial part of the plant was analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy and its major components amounting to 100% were found to be β-selinene (36.370%), α-panasinsene (21.720%), hexadecanoic acid (7.839%), and 1,2-nonadiene (6.199%). Neither the extract nor the isolated compounds showed antimicrobial and antiplasmodial activities.

Bioactivity of the Geranium Genus: A Comprehensive Review

BACKGROUND

Plants from the Geranium genus, which comprises about 400 species, have been used since ancient times in the practice of traditional medicines throughout the world. Therefore, herbal preparations based on Geranium species have found wide usage for the treatment of a variety of ailments. The aim of this work is to present a review, as comprehensive as possible, of the studies concerning different biological activities of Geranium species.

METHODS

Relevant data were obtained through systematic computer searches from major reputed scientific databases, particularly Web of Science and Scopus. Occasionally, information issued in primary sources not covered by these databases was also included provided published as peer-reviewed literature. This review covers the literature disclosed till the end of 2018.

RESULTS

Accompanying the increasing interest in herbal medicines in general, the evaluation of the biological properties of medicinal plants from the Geranium genus has been addressed thoroughly, mostly over the last two decades. Geranium species are endowed with a number of different biological activities. Herein, we present a survey of the results of the studies concerning these different biological activities.

CONCLUSION

Most studies found in the literature effectively contribute to scientifically validate the beneficial properties of Geranium plants claimed by traditional medicines and medical herbalism and demonstrate that many of them possess evident therapeutic properties.