Abstract
Background: “Dimocarpus longan Lour” is a tropical and subtropical evergreen tree species mainly found in China, India, and Thailand; this plant, found naturally in Bangladesh, even locally, is used as “kaviraj” medication for treating different diseases, such as gastrointestinal disorders, wounds, fever, snake bites, menstrual problem, chickenpox, bone fractures, neurological disorders, and reproductive health. Different parts of this plant, especially juice pulp, pericarp, seeds, leaves, and flowers, contain a diverse group of botanical phytocompounds, and nutrient components which are directly related to alleviating numerous diseases. This literature-based review provides the most up-to-date data on the ethnomedicinal usages, phytochemical profiling, and bio-pharmacological effects of D. longan Lour based on published scientific articles. Methodology: A literature-based review was conducted by collecting information from various published papers in reputable journals and cited organizations. ChemDraw, a commercial software package, used to draw the chemical structure of the phytochemicals. Results: Various phytochemicals such as flavonoids, tannins, and polyphenols were collected from the various sections of the plant, and other compounds like vitamins and minerals were also obtained from this plant. As a treating agent, this plant displayed many biologicals activities, such as anti-proliferative, antioxidant, anti-cancer, anti-tyrosinase, radical scavenging activity, anti-inflammatory activity, anti-microbial, activation of osteoblast differentiation, anti-fungal, immunomodulatory, probiotic, anti-aging, anti-diabetic, obesity, neurological issues, and suppressive effect on macrophages cells. Different plant parts have displayed better activity in different disease conditions. Still, the compounds, such as gallic acid, ellagic acid, corilagin acid, quercetin, 4-O-methyl gallic acid, and (-)-epicatechin showed better activity in the biological system. Gallic acid, corilagin, and ellagic acid strongly exhibited anti-cancer activity in the HepG2, A549, and SGC 7901 cancer cell lines. Additionally, 4-O-methyl gallic acid and (-)-epicatechin have displayed outstanding antioxidant activity as well as anti-cancer activity. Conclusion: This plant species can be considered an alternative source of medication for some diseases as it contains a potential group of chemical constituents.
Highlights
The Chinese word “longan”, meaning “dragon-eye”, conveys an accurate description of the fruit details after removing the fruit’s skin [1]
The current review provides more advanced information on the ethnomedicinal uses, taxonomical details, phytochemical profiling, and pharmacological effects of D. longan
Consumers are turning to compounds derived from medicinal plants to treat a wide range of conditions, including malignancy, due to the lower risk of complications and lower cost of these biomolecules
Summary
The Chinese word “longan”, meaning “dragon-eye”, conveys an accurate description of the fruit details after removing the fruit’s skin [1]. Dimocarpus longan Lour, or longan, is the well-known tropical and subtropical tree species of the Sapindaceae family under the Dimocarpus genus growing mainly in South Asian countries. As well as developing Asian countries, the tree can be found in Central and South American countries, southern African countries, and Australia [3]. 20 m in height, has mild green leaves, unisexual/bisexual flowers, and heart-shaped fruits, i.e., 22–36 mm in diameter and weight of 6–19 g [2]. Various parts of this plant as pulp, pericarp, seed, leaves, and flowers have health benefits due to it containing fundamental bioactive components, which protect the body from different disorders, namely, insomnia, amnesia, nerve pain, fever, snake bites, gastrointestinal disorders, cuts and wounds, and menstrual problems [5,6,7]
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