Correlation between phytocompounds and pharmacological activities of Boerhavia diffusa Linn with traditional-ethnopharmacological insights

Abstract

Background: The human body is almost 70% water and fluid imbalance has been a classic symptom of severe underlying conditions, i.e., hepatic disorders, kidney disorders, cardiovascular disease and inflammation. Boerhavia diffusa Linn. is a pantropical herb used in traditional medicine systems worldwide for inflammation, liver-kidney disorders, skin problems, etc. Ethnopharmacological reports of B. diffusa correlate well with its traditional uses. The roots and leaves of B. diffusa have demonstrated diverse pharmacological activities in in-vitro and in-vivo studies. It occurs in Asia, Africa, North America and South America, recognized by diffuse branches decorated with green, ovate leaves, sprouting in the rainy season. This beautiful plant is a source of various important phytochemicals, i.e., alkaloids, rotenoids, polyphenols, flavonoids, ecdysteroids, lignan, steroids, etc. Materials & Methods: The objective of the work was to compile the reports emphasizing the triangular relationship among chemical constituents, pharmacological potential and traditional/ethnopharmacological uses of B.diffusa. A thorough literature search was carried out using various search engines. Literature reports were collected from these databases and print journals available in the library were referred. A combination of keywords: Boerhavia/Boerhaavia, punarnavine/lunamarine, rotenoids, isoflavonoids, boeravinone, diuretics, hepatoprotective, and edema were used. Manually articles were screened based on the title and abstract and their cross-references were studied. Inclusion criteria were original publications in peer-reviewed journals containing information on B. diffusa and its chemical constituents. Results: There is abundant evidence of B. diffusa being an important remedy in generalized edema and kidney-liver disorder due to its diuretic and hepatoprotective activities. It is a source of more than 30 different rotenoids, having hepatoprotective, cardioprotective, antibacterial, antioxidant, antihypertensive activities. It is also a rich source of flavonoids that exhibit a plethora of activities, especially anti-inflammatory, antiosteoporotic and antioxidant activities. Its traditional properties in Ayurveda are proven in terms of its various mechanisms of action, which corresponds well with its ethnomedicinal knowledge worldwide. It has an exceptionally well nutritional profile even though it is a wasteland plant. Conclusion: The phytochemical data indicate that the novel structure of compounds from B. diffusa makes them unique candidates for exploratory/combinatorial studies. Recently various computational and docking studies have been reported on these compounds. The pharmacological activities shown by B. diffusa are live proof of the potential of its chemical constituents and their molecular mechanism has been studied. It can be said that B. diffusa is an exceptionally good source of therapeutically active novel phytocompounds which can transform the field of hepatoprotective, nephroprotective and anticancer treatments.