Pharmacological and phytochemical properties of a promising African medicinal plant, Sterculia setigera Delile: A systematic review

Abstract

Various parts of the plant, Sterculia setigera Delile, from the Malvaceae family are largely used in most African countries for medicinal purposes. In African traditional medicine, the plant is used to treat fever, bacterial infection, diarrhoea, epilepsy, anaemia, and hypertension. Due to its high therapeutic properties, it has become a highly sought-after plant by researchers for pharmacological properties aimed at validating or providing scientific backing for its traditional use. Additionally, efforts to obtain small natural molecules from the plant as scaffolds for the development of new drugs have been explored. Although it is extensively used in traditional medicine and its phytochemical composition and biological activity are widely studied, there is no review paper that systematically analyses its biological activities and phytochemical composition. Hence, this review provides a systematic overview of the biological activities, phytochemical constituents, and ethnomedicinal properties of the plant. The data show S. setigera is a promising medicinal plant with pharmacological potential and thus can be useful for the development of novel therapeutic agents.