Abstract
The oleoresin of Copaifera trees has been widely used as a traditional medicine in Neotropical regions for thousands of years and remains a popular treatment for a variety of ailments. The copaiba resins are generally composed of a volatile oil made up largely of sesquiterpene hydrocarbons, such as β-caryophyllene, α-copaene, β-elemene, α-humulene, and germacrene D. In addition, the oleoresin is also made up of several biologically active diterpene acids, including copalic acid, kaurenoic acid, alepterolic acid, and polyalthic acid. This review presents a summary of the ecology and distribution of Copaifera species, the traditional uses, the biological activities, and the phytochemistry of copaiba oleoresins. In addition, several biomolecular targets relevant to the bioactivities have been implicated by molecular docking methods.
Highlights
Introduction to the Genus CopaiferaThe copaiba trees belong to the genus Copaifera, family Fabaceae, and subfamily Caesalpinoideae
The oleoresin essential oils from these three Copaifera species can have as much as 33% (C. langsdorffii), 87% (C. officinalis), and 68% (C. reticulata) β-caryophyllene
Several Copaifera oleoresin oils have shown in vitro antiparasitic activity against Leishmania amazonensis promastigotes, including C. cearensis, C. langsdorffii, C. lucens, C. martii, C. multijuga, C. officinalis, C. paupera, and C. reticulata [48]
Summary
The copaiba trees belong to the genus Copaifera, family Fabaceae, and subfamily Caesalpinoideae. Sixteenth-century records produced by chroniclers during the Brazilian colonization report the widespread use of copaiba oil among the natives as anti-inflammatory and healing agents, and for esoteric purposes, such as aphrodisiac and contraceptive [4,6,7] This natural product is known and valued to the present day, mainly in the Amazon region, where the rural population has little access to industrialized pharmaceutical products and public health care [6,8]. The copaiba trees have shrub or arboreal habits, can reach up to 40 m height and 4 m diameter at breast height (dbh), have slow growth, and can live up to 400 years [6] Their cylindrical trunks contain intercellular secretory channels arranged in bands of marginal axial parenchyma, the lumen from secretory cells is formed schizogenously, and the oleoresin is synthesized in parenchyma cells of the canal. The lack of parameters to characterize the oil and to perform quality control of the botanical drug constitutes an obstacle for the registration and exportation of herbal products containing copaiba [18,19]
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