Abstract
Plants of the Lauraceae family are widely used in traditional medicine and are sources of various classes of secondary metabolites. Two genera of this family, Beilschmiedia and Endiandra, have been the subject of numerous investigations over the past decades because of their application in traditional medicine. They are the only source of bioactive endiandric acid derivatives. Noteworthy is that their biosynthesis contains two consecutive non-enzymatic electrocyclic reactions. Several interesting biological activities for this specific class of secondary metabolites and other constituents of the two genera have been reported, including antimicrobial, enzymes inhibitory and cytotoxic properties. This review compiles information on the structures of the compounds described between January 1960 and March 2015, their biological activities and information on endiandric acid biosynthesis, with 104 references being cited.
Highlights
The family Lauraceae is one of the most important groups of Angiosperms and consists of 55 genera and over 2000 species [1,2,3,4,5]
Very little information is available on the medicinal use of plants of the Endiandra genus, but some Beilschmiedia species have been used in the indigenous system of medicine for the treatment of various disorders such as uterine tumours, rubella, female genital infections, rheumatism, colon and digestive disorders, malaria, headache, as well as bacterial or fungal infections [12,13,14]
Plants of the genera Beilschmiedia and Endiandra have been known for a long time as rich source of endiandric acid derivatives
Summary
The family Lauraceae is one of the most important groups of Angiosperms and consists of 55 genera and over 2000 species [1,2,3,4,5]. The biosynthesis of this class of secondary metabolites contains two consecutive non-enzymatic electrocyclic reactions [35,36,55]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
