Elsevier

Journal of Ethnopharmacology

Volume 194, 24 December 2016, Pages 30-56
Journal of Ethnopharmacology

Review
The genus Anogeissus: A review on ethnopharmacology, phytochemistry and pharmacology

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jep.2016.08.025Get rights and content

Abstract

Ethnopharmacological relevance

The genus Anogeissus (axlewood tree, ghatti tree, button tree and chewing stick tree) belongs to Combretaceae, includes eight species that are distributed in Asia and Africa. Plants are used as an ethnomedicine in Asia and Africa to treat various ailments like diabetes, fever, diarrhoea, dysentery, tuberculosis, wound healing, skin diseases (eczema, psoriasis), snake and scorpion venom. Based on the traditional knowledge, different phytochemical and pharmacological activities have been at the focus of research. The aim of this review is to provide updated, comprehensive and categorized information on the ethnobotany, phytochemistry, pharmacological research and toxicity of Anogeissus species in order to identify their therapeutic potential and directs future research opportunities.

Materials and methods

The relevant data was searched by using the keyword “Anogeissus” in “Scopus”, “Google Scholar”, “Web of Science”, “PubMed”, and “ScienceDirect” databases. Plant taxonomy was validated by the databases “The Plant List” and A.J. Scott, 1979.

Results

This review discusses the current knowledge of the ethnobotany, phytochemistry and in vitro as well as in vivo pharmacological evaluations carried out on the extracts and isolated main active constituents of Anogeissus genus. Among eight species, most of the phytochemical and pharmacological studies were performed on four species. About 55 secondary metabolites are isolated from the genus. Stem bark, leaf, seed, fruit, root of the plants are used for the treatment of several health disorders such as diabetes, fever, diarrhoea, dysentery, tuberculosis, wound healing, skin diseases (eczema, psoriasis), snake and scorpion venom. Gum ghatti obtained from Anogeissus latifolia is used after delivery as tonic and in spermatorrhoea. Many phytochemical investigations on this genus confirmed that it is rich in phenolic compounds. Modern pharmacology research has confirmed that the crude extracts or the isolated active compounds of the genus Anogeissus possess antioxidant, antimicrobial, wound healing, antiulcer, anti-inflammation, anti-diabetics, hepatoprotective, hypolipidemic, antiparasitic and neuroprotective effects.

Conclusions

This review confirms that some Anogeissus species have emerged as a good source of the traditional medicine for wound healing, inflammation, skin diseases, microbial infection and diabetes. Many traditional uses of Anogeissus species have now been validated by modern pharmacology research. Intensive investigations of all the species of Anogeissus regarding phytochemical and pharmacological properties, especially their mechanism of action, safety and efficacy could be the future research interests before starting clinical trials.

Introduction

Anogeissus (Combretaceae) includes eight species namely, A. acuminata, A. bentii, A. dhofarica, A. latifolia, A. leiocarpus, A. pendula, A. rivularis and A. sericea which are listed in Table 1 along with their authorities and synonyms which are used in the referred articles (Scott, 1979, The Plant List, 2013). Among the eight species, seven are native of Asia and one is native of Africa, all plants have wild status (Scott, 1979). General synonyms for the plants of Anogeissus are ghatti tree, button tree, axlewood tree and chewing stick tree (Ezuruike and Preito, 2014; Khare, 2007, Salau et al., 2013, Taiwo et al., 1999). Plants of this genus are widely used as ethnomedicines by the tribes and communities of Asia and Africa (Adebayo and Krettli, 2011; Ezuruike and Preito, 2014; Gairola et al., 2013, Jain et al., 2005, Marwah et al., 2007, Meena and Yadav, 2010b, Raju and Reddy, 2005). In India, gum (ghatti gum) obtained from A. latifolia is used after delivery in the form of laddu to get rid of backpain and to cure damaged tissue (Jain et al., 2005, Meena and Yadav, 2010a). A. acuminata, A. latifolia, A. pendula, A. sericea is used in gastric disorder, skin diseases, wound healing, diabetes, diarrhoea, dysentery, cough and burns (Jain et al., 2005, Meena and Yadav, 2010b, Mishra, 2015a, Murthy and Madhav, 2015, Raju and Reddy, 2005, Ray et al., 2011, Roy and Chaturvedi, 1986, Shrivastava and Kanungo, 2013, Shukla et al., 2013, Sikarwar et al., 2008, Tailang, 2014). A. acuminata is used for treating diabetes in Thailand (Zaruwa et al., 2012). In Oman, A. dhofarica is used for healing wounds and as antiseptic (Marwah et al., 2007). A. leiocarpus is used for treating malaria, helminthiasis, trypanosomiasis, diabetes, dysentery and healing wounds in Africa (Adebayo and Krettli, 2011, Asase et al., 2005; Ezuruike and Preito, 2014; Maiga et al., 2005, Okpekon et al., 2004).

The various ethnomedicinal uses led the researchers to explore the phytochemistry of the plants of Anogeissus genus. The presence of many bioactive secondary metabolites was revealed such as alkaloids, anthraquinones, essential oils, flavonoids, glycosides, saponins, steroids, tannins, terpenoids and xanthones which are responsible for the pharmacological activities (Barku and Grace, 2013; Elegami et al., 2002; Govindarajan et al., 2005, Hungund and Pathak, 1971, Mann et al., 2008a, Mann et al., 2008c, Mann et al., 2014, Manosroi et al., 2011, Marwah et al., 2007, Mishra and Padhy, 2013, Mishra et al., 2015, Olutayo et al., 2011, Parvathi et al., 2009b, Salau et al., 2013, Zaruwa et al., 2009). Chopra et al., (1956) reported that the phytochemistry was first studied in 1929 of A. latifolia and the presence of tannins was revealed. Further, investigation uncovered that gum ghatti contains galactose, uronic acid and pentose. It contains 50% pentosan and 12% of galacturonic acid (or galactose) and on hydrolysis with sulphuric acid it yielded L-arabinose and an aldobionic acid (Hanna and Shaw, 1941, Hanna et al., 1939). Later, many bioactive constituents were isolated from A. acuminata, A. latifolia and A. leiocarpus such as gallic acid, ellagic acid, glycosides of ellagic and flavellagic acid such as 3,3’-di-O-methylellagic acid-4’-β-D-xyloside and 3,4,3’-tri-O-methylflavellagic acid-4’-β-D-glucoside alongwith quercetin, rutin, castalagin, anolignan A, B, C, anogeissinin and others (Attioua et al., 2011, Deshpande et al., 1976, Lin et al., 1991, Ndjonka et al., 2012b, Ndjonka et al., 2013, Reddy et al., 1965a, Reddy et al., 1965b, Rimando et al., 1994b, Shuaibu et al., 2008a). Around 55 bioactive compounds were isolated from the genus and majority are phenolic compounds.

Modern pharmacological evaluations were carried out of crude extracts and also of isolated compounds. Crude extracts of A. acuminata, A. latifolia and A. leiocarpus revealed antioxidant, antimicrobial, antiparasitic, wound healing, antiulcer, anti-diabetics, hepatoprotective, hypolipidemic effects (Arunadevi et al., 2010, Barku and Grace, 2013, Govindarajan et al., 2004a, Govindarajan et al., 2004b, Govindarajan et al., 2006, Ichor and Ekoja, 2011, Kaushik et al., 2015, Kudi and Myint, 1999, Marwah et al., 2007, Mishra et al., 2015, Patil and Gaikwad, 2010, Pradeep et al., 2009, Salau et al., 2015b, Shuaibu et al., 2008a, Shuaibu et al., 2008b, Shuaibu et al., 2008c, Subramaniam et al., 2012, Vonthron-Sénécheau et al., 2003, Zaruwa et al., 2009, Zaruwa et al., 2012). The compounds isolated from A. leiocarpus have revealed potent antimicrobial and antiparasitic activity while compounds from A. acuminata and A. pendula possess HIV-1 reverse transcriptase inhibitory and neuroprotective activity respectively (Arunadevi et al., 2010, Ndjonka et al., 2012b, Ndjonka et al., 2013, Rimando et al., 1994b, Shuaibu et al., 2008c).

More detailed literature is available on latifolia, leiocarpus and acuminata. On bentii, dhofarica, pendula, sericea, rivularis very little or no data is available regarding their ethnomedicinal uses, phytochemistry and pharmacological evaluations. Major reason behind this could be overexploitation of plants. Literature supports this as A. sericea have been overexploited for commercial purpose (for making agricultural implements and furniture) (Meena et al., 2013, Rajendrakumar and Kalavathy, 2010). A. dhofarica has been assigned the status of ‘vulnerable (VU)’ and A. bentii of ‘endangered (EN)’ due to development, agriculture (livestock farming), biological resource use (wood harvesting), recreational activities and potential climate change (The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, 2015, Patzelt, 2014).

Therefore, the aim and need of the present review is to provide a current state of knowledge of the ethnomedicinal uses, phytochemistry and pharmacological investigations that proves their therapeutic potential along with toxicological studies of the species of Anogeissus genus which directs the future research opportunities.

Section snippets

Botanical characterisation and distribution

Most Anogeissus species are trees or shrubs; leaves alternate or opposite, short petiolate, entire pubescent when young; flowers in dense globose heads on short axillary and terminal peduncles, solitary or racemose; fruits numerous, small, two winged or four ribbed, packed horizontally into dense cone like heads (Scott, 1979) (Fig. 1).

Species of Anogeissus are distributed in Asia (South Asia, Southeast Asia and West Asia) and Africa continents. Among all the species, A. latifolia (India, Nepal,

Phytochemistry

The genus Anogeissus is characterised by the presence of phenolic compounds like tannins and flavonoids. Table 3 and Fig. 2 summarises the isolated bioactive compounds from the different species.

Toxicity

A. latifolia: LD50 through intraperitoneal route was found to be 500 mg/kg of plant parts excluding roots and 375 mg/kg of stem bark extracted with 50% ethanol in albino mice (Bhakuni et al., 1971). Acute oral toxicity was evaluated of aqueous extract of stem bark but no signs of toxicity were observed up to 2000 mg/kg in rats (Subramaniam et al., 2012). Similarly, LD50 was found to be >3000 mg/kg for stem bark and leaf petroleum ether extracts, chloroform stem bark extract and methanol leaf

Pharmacological activities

In the Anogeissus species, A. acuminata, A. dhofarica, A. latifolia, A. leiocarpus, A. pendula, A. sericea are reported to be used as traditional medicine. An overview of the modern pharmacological investigations performed on several crude extracts and isolated compounds from the mentioned species are described below.

Discussion and future prespectives

The present review summarised the ethnomedicinal uses, phytochemical and pharmacological aspects of Anogeissus species. In spite of the fact that Anogeissus genus includes eight species which are distributed in Asia (India, Nepal, Srilanka, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Combodia, Laos, Veitnam, South China and also in Oman and Yemen) and Africa continents as discussed earlier, we conclude that only two species as latifolia and leiocarpus are broadly studied in modern pharmacology due to the

References (222)

  • S. Gairola et al.

    Plants used for treatment of dysentery and diarrhoea by the Bhoxa community of district Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India

    J. Ethnopharmacol.

    (2013)
  • R. Govindarajan et al.

    Antiulcer and antimicrobial activity of Anogeissus latifolia

    J. Ethnopharmacol.

    (2006)
  • N.N. Ibekwe et al.

    Some nigerian anti-tuberculosis ethnomedicines: a preliminary efficacy assessment

    J. Ethnopharmacol.

    (2014)
  • A. Jain et al.

    Folk herbal medicines used in birth control and sexual diseases by tribals of southern Rajasthan, India

    J. Ethnopharmacol.

    (2004)
  • A. Jain et al.

    Medicinal plant diversity of sitamata wildlife sanctuary, Rajasthan, India

    J. Ethnopharmacol.

    (2005)
  • K. Jeyaprakash et al.

    Traditional uses of medicinal plants among the tribal people in Theni district (Western Ghats), Southern India

    Asian Pac. J. Trop. Biomed.

    (2011)
  • A.C. Kudi et al.

    Antiviral activity of some Nigerian medicinal plant extracts

    J. Ethnopharmacol.

    (1999)
  • A.O. Abimbola et al.

    Antibacterial effects of three selected chewing stick extracts on Lactobacillus species

    Int. J. Trop. Med.

    (2006)
  • I.O. Ademola et al.

    In vitro anthelmintic effect of Anogeissus leiocarpus (DC.) Guill. & Perr. leaf extracts and fractions on developmental stages of Haemonchus contortus

    Afr. J. Tradit. Complement. Altern. Med.

    (2011)
  • J.O. Adigun et al.

    Isolation and investigation of antimicrobial effect of 3,4,3'-tri-O-methylflavellagic acid and its glucoside from Anogeissus leiocarpus

    Bull. Chem. Soc. Ethiop.

    (2000)
  • J.O. Adigun et al.

    Chemical analysis and antimicrobial effects of petroleum spirit extract of Anogeissus leiocarpus

    Niger. J. Chem. Res.

    (2001)
  • B.M. Agaie et al.

    Anthelmintic activity of the crude aqueous leaf extracts of Anogeissus leiocarpus in sheep

    Afr. J. Biotechnol.

    (2007)
  • B.M. Agaie et al.

    Acute toxicity effects of the aqueous leaf extract of Anogeissus leiocarpus in rats

    Afr. J. Biotechnol.

    (2007)
  • I.M. Ahmad et al.

    Phytochemical screening and toxicological studies of aqueous stem bark extract of Anogeissus leiocarpus in rats

    Asian J. Sci. Res.

    (2013)
  • O.M. Akanbi et al.

    The antiplasmodial activity of Anogeissus leiocarpus and its effect on oxidative stress and lipid profile in mice infected with Plasmodium bergheii

    Parasitol. Res.

    (2012)
  • J.A. Akande et al.

    Potency of extract content from selected tropical chewing sticks against Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus auricularis

    World J. Microbiol. Biotechnol.

    (1997)
  • K.S. Alawa et al.

    Ethnomedicinal plants used by tribals of Dhar district, Madhya Pradesh, India

    CIBTech J. Pharm. Sci.

    (2012)
  • H.A. Ali et al.

    Profiling the antiplasmodial polyphenolic fraction of Anogeissus leiocarpus leaves by LC/PDA/ESI-MS/MS

    Planta Med.

    (2013)
  • A.J. Al-Noumani et al.

    Antimicrobial, antioxidant and cytotoxic activities of Anogeissus dhofarica from Oman

    Int. J. Recent Adv. Pharm. Res.

    (2013)
  • T. Apparanantham et al.

    Glimpses of folk medicines of Dharmapuri forest division Tamil Nadu

    Anc. Sci. Life

    (1986)
  • A. Arjariya et al.

    Some medicinal plants among the tribes of Chhatarpur district (M.P.) India

    Ecoprint

    (2009)
  • G.O. Aspinall et al.

    Anogeissus schimperi gum

    J. Chem. Soc.

    (1961)
  • G.O. Aspinall et al.

    Gum ghatti (Indian gum). The composition of the gum and the structure of two aldobiouronic acids derived from it

    J. Chem. Soc.

    (1955)
  • G.O. Aspinall et al.

    Anogeissus leiocarpus gum. Part II. Fractionation of the gum and partial hydrolysis of leiocarpan A

    J. Chem. Soc.

    (1969)
  • S.E. Atawodi et al.

    Antioxidant, organ protective and ameliorative properties of methanol extract of Anogeissus leiocarpus stem bark against carbon tetrachloride-induced liver injury

    Int. J. Pharm. Sci. Res.

    (2011)
  • B. Attioua et al.

    In vitro antiplasmodial and antileishmanial activities of flavonoids from Anogeissus leiocarpus (Combretaceae)

    Int. J. Pharm. Sci. Rev. Res.

    (2011)
  • V.Y.A. Barku et al.

    Phytochemical studies, in-vitro antibacterial activities and antioxidant properties of the methanolic and ethyl acetate extracts of the leaves of Anogeissus leiocarpus

    Int. J. Biochem. Res. Rev.

    (2013)
  • V.Y.A. Barku et al.

    Ethnobotanical study of wound healing plants in Kpando traditional area, Ghana

    Int. J. Phytomed.

    (2014)
  • B. Belem et al.

    Use of non-wood forest products by local people bordering the “Parc National Kaboré Tambi”, Burkina Faso

    J. Transdiscipl. Environ. Stud.

    (2007)
  • L. Belemnaba et al.

    Endothelium-independent and endothelium-dependent vasorelaxation by a dichloromethane fraction from Anogeissus leiocarpus (DC.) Guill. et Perr. (Combretaceae): possible involvement of cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase inhibition

    Afr. J. Tradit. Complement. Altern. Med.

    (2013)
  • D.S. Bhakuni et al.

    Screening of Indian plants for biological activity: part III

    Indian J. Exp. Biol.

    (1971)
  • N.P. Bhalla et al.

    Traditional plant medicines of Sagar distt., Madhya Pradesh

    J. Econ. Taxon. Bot.

    (1982)
  • V.V. Bhargava et al.

    Flavonoid and phenolic contents in roots of Anogeissus latifolia

    Indo Am. J. Pharm. Res.

    (2013)
  • V.K. Bharti

    An ethnobotanical study of medicinal plants in Shahdol district of Madhya Pradesh, India

    Int. J. Sci. Res.

    (2015)
  • S.K. Bhatt et al.

    Efficacy of successive extracts of seeds of Anogeissus leiocarpa against some human pathogenic fungi

    Indian Drugs

    (1979)
  • H.M. Burkill

    The Useful Plants of Tropical Africa

    (1985)
  • Chaabi, M., Benayache, S., Vonthron-Sénécheau, C., Weniger, B., Anton, R., Lobstein, A., 2006. Antiprotozoal activity...
  • S.K. Chaturvedi

    Acta Cienc. Indica-Chem.

    (1992)
  • S.K. Chaturvedi

    Analysis of the fixed oil from the plant Anogeissus latifolia

    Acta Cienc. Indica-Chem. V

    (2007)
  • S.K. Chaturvedi et al.

    Quercetin-3-O-β-D-galactopyranosyl (1➙4)-O-α-L-rhamnopyranoside from root of Anogeissus latifolia Wall

    J. Indian Chem. Soc.

    (1985)
  • Cited by (28)

    • Development of plant extract impregnated bacterial cellulose as a green antimicrobial composite for potential biomedical applications

      2022, Industrial Crops and Products
      Citation Excerpt :

      The resin (dragon blood) obtained from the Dracaena plant has been traditionally used to treat hemorrhage, ulcers, wounds and is known to have excellent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties and helps skin repair (Sun et al., 2019; Thu et al., 2020). They contain secondary metabolites which are famous for their remarkable antibacterial actions (Mirjalili et al., 2009; Singh et al., 2016). The phytochemical constituents of genus Dracaena were reviewed and presence of certain flavonoids and other compounds in their resin was reported (Thu et al., 2020).

    • Antitrypanosomal properties of Anogeissus leiocarpa extracts and their inhibitory effect on trypanosome alternative oxidase

      2022, Phytomedicine Plus
      Citation Excerpt :

      & Perr. ( Combretaceae) is a medicinal plant reputed in ethnomedicine for the treatment of trypanosomiasis (Singh et al., 2016). Our aim is to conduct bioassay-guided antitrypanosomal studies of A. leiocarpa, evaluate inhibitory effect of the most active column fractions of the plant on TAO and conduct antitrypanosomal studies of the potential TAO inhibitor.

    • <sup>1</sup>H NMR and HPLC-DAD-MS for the characterization of ellagitannins and triterpenoids of less investigated Anogeissus leiocarpus DC (Combretaceae) stem bark

      2022, Food Chemistry
      Citation Excerpt :

      To verify the influence of the temperature mainly on tannins content, the water extraction was carried out both at room temperature and at 100 °C. Noteworthy, AL water extracts mimic a traditional medicinal practice in which local herbal practitioners often made these preparations at home to treat various diseases (Arbab, 2014; Singh et al., 2016). Furthermore, a decoction for 30 min was applied to confirm the chemical stability of the tannins, already known as thermally stable molecules (Campo, Pinelli, & Romani, 2016; Khatib et al., 2017).

    • Bioactive tetrahydrofuran lignans from roots, stems, leaves and twigs of Anogeissus rivularis

      2021, Fitoterapia
      Citation Excerpt :

      In Africa, the barks and the exuding gum of A. leiocarpus are used to prevent and cure dental caries and tooth-ache [2]. In addition, the aerial parts of A. pendula are used for treatment of diabetes and inflammation [1]. Tetrahydrofuran lignans are a large group of naturally occurring secondary metabolites and are found in several plants.

    • In vitro and in vivo antitrypanosomal efficacy of combination therapy of Anogeissus leiocarpus, Khaya senegalensis and potash

      2020, Journal of Ethnopharmacology
      Citation Excerpt :

      Plants have a long history in medicine with a number of recorded successes, the most recent one being the anti-malarial, artemisimin which is obtained from the plant, Artemisia annua (Ogbadoyi et al., 2007). Anogeissus leiocarpus (Singh et al., 2016) and Khaya senegalensis (Takin et al., 2013) are important medicinal plants with wide ethnomedicinal applications and some scientifically validated medical uses. A. leiocarpus is used in African and Asian traditional medicine to treat myriad of diseases/conditions, including, protozoan diseases (eg, trypanosomiasis, malaria, leshmaniasis) helminthosis, tuberculosis, diabetes, diarrhea, skin diseases, wound healing, febrile conditions, snake bite and scorpion sting, etc (Arbab, 2014; Shuaibu et al., 2008; Shuaibu et al., 2008; Singh et al., 2016).

    View all citing articles on Scopus
    View full text