Medicinal plants from the genus Alchornea (Euphorbiaceae): A review of their ethnopharmacology uses and phytochemistry

[摘要] The genus Alchornea compromises 55 accepted and other two unresolved species (Alchornea acerifera Croizat and Alchornea oblonga Muxccx88ll. Arg.) which well various ecosystems over all the continents, with a special pantropical distribution. Numerous reports of ethnopharmacological uses of species belonging this genus exist mainly in Africa and Brazil, to treat different inflammatory and infectious diseases: arthritis, dysentery, infectious diseases, inflammation, intestinal disorders, fractures, leprosy, malaria, management of ringworm affections, muscle pain, rheumatism and ulcer. The genus Alchornea, contains different secondary metabolites and they have been reported such as: Alkaloids, terpenes and steroids, phenolic acid, saponins, principaly. The aim of the present review is to provide gathered and organized information with pharmacological, toxicological, traditional and phytochemical traits of plants from the Alchornea genus in order to define the biological potential of the genus and to define a state-of-art-platform stating the perspectives for further pharmacological/chemotaxonomical studies.

[学科分类] 植物学

[关键词] El gexccx81nero Alchornea comprende 55 especies aceptadas y otras dos especies por confirmar (Alchornea acerifera Croizat y Alchornea oblonga Muxccx88ll. Arg.) quexccx81 habitan en diversos ecosistemas en todos los continentes;con una distribucioxccx81n pantropical especial. Existen numerosos reportes de usos ethnofarmacologicos de especies que pertenecen a este gexccx81nero en Africa y Brasil;en el tratamiento de diferentes enfermedades inflamatorias e infecciosas: la artritis;la disenterixccx81a;los desoxccx81rdenes intestinales;las fracturas;la lepra;la malaria;dolor del muxccx81sculo;reumatismo y uxccx81lcera. En el gexccx81nero Alchornea;se han reportado diversos tipos de metabolitos secundarios tales como: alcaloides;terpenos y esteroides;axccx81cidos fenolicos;saponinas;principalmente. El objetivo de esta revisioxccx81n fue de compendiar y organizar la informacioxccx81n farmacoloxccx81gica;toxicoloxccx81gica;de usos tradicionales y de fitocompuestos de plantas del gexccx81nero de Alchornea en el orden de definir el potencial bioloxccx81gico del gexccx81nero y establecer la plataforma del estado-de-arte con las perspectivas de los futuros estudios farmacoloxccx81gico/quimiotaxonoxccx81micos que se podrixccx81an realizar.