Abstract
Medicinal plants have been known as a rich source of natural products (NPs). Due to their diverse chemical structures and remarkable pharmacological activities, NPs are regarded as important repertoires for drug discovery and development. Biebersteinia plant species belong to the Biebersteiniaceae family, and have been used in folk medicines in China and Iran for ages. However, the chemical properties, bioactivities and modes of action of the NPs produced by medicinal Biebersteinia species are poorly understood despite the fact that there are only four known Biebersteinia species worldwide. Here, we reviewed the chemical classifications and diversity of the various NPs found in the four known Biebersteinia species. We found that the major chemical categories in these plants include flavonoids, alkaloids, phenylpropanoids, terpenoids, essential oils and fatty acids. We also discussed the anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antibacterial, antioxidant, antihypertensive and hypoglycemic effects of the four Biebersteinia species. We believe that the present review will facilitate the exploration of traditional uses and pharmacological properties of Biebersteinia species, extraction of the NPs and elucidation of their molecular mechanisms, as well as the development of novel drugs based on the reported properties and mode-of-action.
Highlights
Biebersteinia is the smallest genus of Biebersteiniaceae
The present review summarizes the findings of several decades of research into the chemical constituents and pharmacological functions of the four identified Biebersteinia species
Namely nerolidol, 6,10,14-trimethyl-2-pentadecanone, hexadecanoic acid and phytol that possess strong antioxidant activities, were the major components in essential oils extracted from aerial parts of B. multifida by both hydrodistillation and supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) methods; the yield of these four compounds extracted by SFE (91.74%) was far higher than that by the hydrodistillation method [42]
Summary
Biebersteinia is the smallest genus of Biebersteiniaceae. The systemic and taxonomic position of this genus has long been in dispute due to its rare species and limited availability of representative herbarium collections [1]. B. leiosepala is recognized to be a synonymous species of B. multifida (http://www.theplantlist.org/, http://www.worldfloraonline.org/, and https://www.gbif.org/); and there are a total of four species in the genus These species are widely distributed in mountainous, semi-arid regions from central and western Asia to the eastern. B. heterostemon, called “Xun Dao Niu” in Chinese, is endemic to the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau and its adjacent regions in China [6] This plant species inhabits arid and semi-arid alpine deserts, rocky slopes and other environments (http://www.iplant.cn/foc/). B. orphanidis grows at altitudes ~1400–1750 m in deep sandy-clay soil in dolines over limestone, usually in openings of Abies cephalonica forest These plants are 15–40 cm long, broadly oblanceolate in outline, with scarious stipules and short petioles [5]. This review, will facilitate further investigations into the complete chemical profile of the secondary metabolites in these plants, as well as their pharmacological activities and molecular mechanisms
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