Abstract
Catharanthus roseus (C. roseus) is an important medicinal plant distributed in many countries. It has attracted increasing attention due to it being shown to possess a range of phytochemicals with various biological activities such as antioxidant, antibacterial, antifungal, antidiabetic and anticancer properties. Remarkably, vinblastine and vincristine isolated from this plant were the first plant-derived anticancer agents deployed for clinical use. Recently, new isolated indole alkaloids from this plant including catharoseumine, 14′,15′-didehydrocyclovinblastine, 17-deacetoxycyclovinblastine and 17-deacetoxyvinamidine effectively inhibited human cancer cell lines in vitro. Moreover, vindoline, vindolidine, vindolicine and vindolinine isolated from C. roseus leaf exhibited in vitro antidiabetic property. These findings strongly indicate that this plant is still a promising source of bioactive compounds, which should be further investigated. This paper provides an overview of the traditional use and phytochemical profiles of C. roseus, and summarises updated techniques of the preparation of dried material, extraction and isolation of bioactive compounds from this plant. In addition, purported health benefits of the extracts and bioactive compounds derived from this plant were also addressed to support their potential as therapeutic agents.
Highlights
Natural resources including herbal plants, which contain a large variety of phytochemicals promising as traditional medicine to treat chronic and infectious diseases, have been considered as safe and effective alternatives with fewer side effects compared to synthetic agents [1]
The results showed that drying methods significantly affected the retention of bioactive compounds in C. roseus material because bioactive compounds are sensitive to heat, light and oxygen [40]
The results supported the traditional utilisation of C. roseus for diabetic treatment, highlighting that C. roseus is a potent source for further exploring antidiabetic agents
Summary
Natural resources including herbal plants, which contain a large variety of phytochemicals promising as traditional medicine to treat chronic and infectious diseases, have been considered as safe and effective alternatives with fewer side effects compared to synthetic agents [1]. The drying and extraction process are crucial steps prior to isolation and purification of bioactive compounds from plant material. The extraction process is a key step to obtain bioactive compounds a key step to obtain bioactive compounds from plant materials. This paper provides a comprehensive review of different techniques of drying, extracting and review of different techniques of drying, extracting and isolating bioactive compounds from the target isolating bioactive compounds from the target plant material, C. roseus, and discusses its potential plant material, C. roseus, and discusses its potential health benefits along with its traditional use. Is short, but with the corolla tube is long, sparsely pubescent abovewhite and the throat is hairy within below. The calyx tube is short, but the corolla tube is long, sparsely pubescent above and the throat is hairy the stamens.
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