Traditional uses, phytochemistry, pharmacology, toxicity and clinical application of traditional Chinese medicine Cynoglossum amabile: a review.

Cynoglossum amabile, a member of the Boraginaceae family, is a well-known traditional Chinese medicine and ethnomedicine known as Daotihu. Despite several studies confirming the presence of bioactive pyrrolizidine alkaloids such as amabiline, ambelline, echinatine, europine, and others in C. amabile, there has been no comprehensive review of its traditional uses, phytochemistry, and pharmacology thus far. This review was conducted by thoroughly examining the literature and analyzing network databases. It covers various aspects of C. amabile, including botanical characteristics, geographical distribution, traditional applications, phytochemistry, pharmacological activities, toxicology, and clinical applications. The results have shown that C. amabile has been traditionally used for medicinal, edible, and ornamental purposes in China for many centuries. The whole plant, root, and leaf of C. amabile are used by different ethnic groups, such as Lisu, Bai, Naxi, Yi, Jinuo, and Han, to treat malaria, hepatitis, dysentery, leucorrhea, tuberculosis cough, fracture, joint dislocation, trauma bleeding, and skin carbuncle abscess. A total of 47 chemical components, including alkaloids (pyrrolizidine alkaloids, PAs), sterols, organic acids, and saccharides, were isolated from C. amabile. Pharmacological studies show that the chemical extracts of C. amabile possess various biological activities, such as anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor, anti-microbial, cardiovascular effects, ganglionic action, and acetylcholinesterase inhibition. However, it is important to note that C. amabile exhibits hepatotoxicity, with its toxicity being linked to its primary PAs components. Although preliminary studies suggest potential applications in the treatment of prostate diseases and alopecia, further research is needed to validate these clinical uses. Our review highlights the traditional uses, phytochemistry, biological activity, toxicity, and clinical applications of C. amabile. It emphasizes the essential guiding role of the indigenous medicinal knowledge system in developing new drugs. Previous studies have shown that the phytochemical and pharmacological characteristics of C. amabile are significantly related to its traditional medicinal practices. Cynoglossum amabile has excellent market potential and can be further analyzed in terms of phytochemistry, pharmacology, and toxicology, which are critical for its clinical drug safety, quality evaluation, and resource development.

The genus Landolphia P.Beauv. (Apocynaceae): A comprehensive review on its ethnobotanical utilizations, pharmacology and nutritional potential.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: The genus Landolphia is an important resource for African traditional medicine. Among the 60 different accepted species, nearly every plant part of the genus (bark, fruit, latex, leaf, leaf sap, root, rootbark, twig) from 13 species is utilized by traditional healers around Africa. Accordingly, many pharmacological studies (42) were performed on the most common species (11). AIM OF THE STUDY: This comprehensive literature review summarizes all publications dealing on one of the 60 plant species from the genus Landolphia. An overview about already performed analysis is given and important aspects and knowledge gaps are highlighted for the direction of future research activities. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A systematic web search taking into account the major platforms Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, SciFinder and Google Scholar was performed for the term Landolphia. All relevant datasets, published between 1804 and 2022, were ordered according to their topics in different sections and compared to each other. A network visualization of the keywords via VOS Viewer was additionally performed. RESULTS: In total, 209 publications were retrieved from the search engines, mainly written in English. Predominant are ethnopharmacological studies, which identified 292 phytochemicals in plant parts of the whole genus. Diverse biological activities were detected in different plant extracts, and five species were determined as of special interest for the treatment of malaria. Further research topics identified are botanical aspects, ethnobotanical utilizations, ecological aspects, the potential as source for human and animal nutrition, the manufacturing of rubber, economic aspects, biomechanical studies and others. L. owariensis is the most studied plant as it is abundant in continental Africa. CONCLUSIONS: This review serves as a database for upcoming research on the genus Landolphia and directs existing knowledge gaps. A wide range of chemical components are already identified, but their exact content in the respective plant parts and their biological activity remains mainly unknown. Utilization patterns from traditional medicine are only partially analyzed as demonstrated for the applications as aphrodisiac, to treat skin diseases or as antidiabetic. Nutritional analyses likewise focus on several species of Landolphia and lack for the wide range of known edible fruits. The demand for new natural products in terms of medicine, rubber and nutrition is still high and the genus Landolphia seems to be a promising resource covering many aspects at once.

Technological Application of Tannin-Based Extracts.

Tannins are polyphenolic compounds naturally found in vegetables. Their presence in nature has prompted their historical use in many different ways. The revision of their traditional utilization has allowed their further modification aiming for an industrial application. Sometimes these modifications have implied the addition of harmful substances such as formaldehyde, classified as a carcinogen of category B1. In other cases, these natural tannins have been replaced by synthetic compounds that threaten human and animal health and damage the environment. Therefore, currently, both academy and industry are searching for the substitution of these unsafe complexes by the increasing inclusion of tannins, natural molecules that can be obtained from several and diverse renewable resources, modified using harmless additives. To achieve promising results, cost-efficient and eco-friendly extraction methods have been designed. Once these green alternatives have been isolated, they have been successfully applied to many fields with very assorted aims of utilization such as coagulants, adhesives, floatation agents, tannings, dyes, additives, or biomolecules. Therefore, this review offers a global vision of the full process that involves the tannin's technological application including an overview of the most relevant tannin sources, effective extraction methods, and their utilization in very diverse fields.