Euphorbia -Derived Natural Products with Potential for Use in Health Maintenance

There is no author summary for this article yet. Authors can add summaries to their articles on ScienceOpen to make them more accessible to a non-specialist audience.

Abstract

Euphorbia genus (Euphorbiaceae family), which is the third largest genus of angiosperm plants comprising ca. 2000 recognized species, is used all over the world in traditional medicine, especially in the traditional Chinese medicine. Members of this taxa are promptly recognizable by their specialized inflorescences and latex. In this review, an overview of Euphorbia-derived natural products such as essential oils, extracts, and pure compounds, active in a broad range of biological activities, and with potential usages in health maintenance, is described. The chemical composition of essential oils from Euphorbia species revealed the presence of more than 80 phytochemicals, mainly oxygenated sesquiterpenes and sesquiterpenes hydrocarbons, while Euphorbia extracts contain secondary metabolites such as sesquiterpenes, diterpenes, sterols, flavonoids, and other polyphenols. The extracts and secondary metabolites from Euphorbia plants may act as active principles of medicines for the treatment of many human ailments, mainly inflammation, cancer, and microbial infections. Besides, Euphorbia-derived products have great potential as a source of bioactive extracts and pure compounds, which can be used to promote longevity with more health.

Related collections

Most cited references 122

Record: found
Abstract: found
Article: found

Is Open Access

Plant Secondary Metabolites as Anticancer Agents: Successes in Clinical Trials and Therapeutic Application

Ana Seca, Diana Pinto (2018)

Cancer is a multistage process resulting in an uncontrolled and abrupt division of cells and is one of the leading causes of mortality. The cases reported and the predictions for the near future are unthinkable. Food and Drug Administration data showed that 40% of the approved molecules are natural compounds or inspired by them, from which, 74% are used in anticancer therapy. In fact, natural products are viewed as more biologically friendly, that is less toxic to normal cells. In this review, the most recent and successful cases of secondary metabolites, including alkaloid, diterpene, triterpene and polyphenolic type compounds, with great anticancer potential are discussed. Focusing on the ones that are in clinical trial development or already used in anticancer therapy, therefore successful cases such as paclitaxel and homoharringtonine (in clinical use), curcumin and ingenol mebutate (in clinical trials) will be addressed. Each compound’s natural source, the most important steps in their discovery, their therapeutic targets, as well as the main structural modifications that can improve anticancer properties will be discussed in order to show the role of plants as a source of effective and safe anticancer drugs.

0 comments Cited 162 times – based on 0 reviews      Review now

Bookmark

Record: found
Abstract: not found
Article: not found

Thermal and Textural Properties of Organogels Developed by Candelilla Wax in Safflower Oil

J. A. Morales-Rueda, M. M. González-Chávez, M. Charó-Alonso … (2007)

0 comments Cited 76 times – based on 0 reviews      Review now

Bookmark

Record: found
Abstract: found
Article: found

Is Open Access

Euphorbia hirta: Its chemistry, traditional and medicinal uses, and pharmacological activities

Sunil Kumar, Rashmi Malhotra, Dinesh Kumar S (2010)

The oldest remedies known to mankind are herbal medicines. India is known worldwide for its Ayurvedic treatment. Euphorbia hirta is often used traditionally for female disorders, respiratory ailments (cough, coryza, bronchitis, and asthma), worm infestations in children, dysentery, jaundice, pimples, gonorrhea, digestive problems, and tumors. It is reported to contain alkanes, triterpenes, phytosterols, tannins, polyphenols, and flavanoids. This review describes the medicinal properties, chemical constituents, and other important aspects of Euphorbia hirta.

0 comments Cited 52 times – based on 0 reviews      Review now

Bookmark

All references

Author and article information

Journal

Journal ID (nlm-ta): Biomolecules

Journal ID (iso-abbrev): Biomolecules

Journal ID (publisher-id): biomolecules

Title: Biomolecules

Publisher: MDPI

ISSN (Electronic): 2218-273X

Publication date (Electronic): 02 August 2019

Publication date Collection: August 2019

Volume: 9

Issue: 8

Electronic Location Identifier: 337

Affiliations

[1 ]Student Research Committee, School of Medicine, Bam University of Medical Sciences, Bam 44340847, Iran

[2 ]Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Milan State University, via G. Celoria 2, 20133 Milan, Italy

[3 ]Institute of Fermentation Technology and Microbiology, Lodz University of Technology, Wolczanska 171/173, 90-924 Lodz, Poland

[4 ]Zabol Medicinal Plants Research Center, Zabol University of Medical Sciences, Zabol 61615-585, Iran

[5 ]Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals Unit, Department of Biochemistry, Federal University of Technology, Akure 340252, Nigeria

[6 ]Department of Biomedical Technology, Federal University of Technology, Akure 340252, Nigeria

[7 ]Institute of Soil Science and Plant Cultivation – State Research Institute, Czartoryskich 8, 24-100 Puławy, Poland

[8 ]Centre of Marine Sciences, University of Algarve, Faculty of Sciences and Technology, Building 7, Campus of Gambelas, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal

[9 ]Bioorganic Chemistry Laboratory, Facultad de Ciencias Básicas y Aplicadas, Universidad Militar Nueva Granada, Campus Nueva Granada, Cajicá 250247, Colombia

[10 ]Department of Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences, University of Granada, Avda. Fuentenueva s/n, 18071 Granada, Spain

[11 ]Research and Development Functional Food Centre (CIDAF), Bioregión Building, Health Science Technological Park, Avenida del Conocimiento s/n, 188016 Granada, Spain

[12 ]Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, 80055 Portici, Italy

[13 ]Department of Clinical Oncology, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Hong Kong SAR, China

[14 ]cE3c- Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes/ Azorean Biodiversity Group & University of Azores, Rua Mãe de Deus, 9501-801 Ponta Delgada, Portugal

[15 ]QOPNA & LAQV-REQUIMTE, Department of Chemistry, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal

Author notes

[* ]Correspondence: javad.sharifirad@ 123456gmail.com (J.S.-R.); mluzcadiz@ 123456ugr.es (M.d.l.L.C.-G.); ana.ml.seca@ 123456uac.pt (A.M.L.S.); Tel.: +98-21-88200104 (J.S.-R.); +34-95-8637206 (M.d.l.L.C.-G.); +35-12-96650174 (A.M.L.S.)

Author information

Marcello Iriti https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5063-1236

Sara Vitalini https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7557-9473

Hubert Antolak https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3672-4249

Ewelina Pawlikowska https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4753-845X

Dorota Kręgiel https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4006-6464

Javad Sharifi-Rad https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7301-8151

Adedayo O. Ademiluyi https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8325-1304

Mariola Staniak https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1962-9469

Luísa Custódio https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4338-7703

Ericsson Coy-Barrera https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3553-9749

María de la Luz Cádiz-Gurrea https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2613-4889

Raffaele Capasso https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3335-1822

William C. Cho https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4174-4586

Ana M. L. Seca https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7709-2375

Article

Publisher ID: biomolecules-09-00337

DOI: 10.3390/biom9080337

PMC ID: 6723572

PubMed ID: 31382529

SO-VID: f1db7b60-9baf-4386-a931-11b57bacf2b6

License:

Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

Euphorbia-Derived Natural Products with Potential for Use in Health Maintenance

Read this article at

Abstract

Related collections

Herbal Medicines Journal (Herb Med J)

Most cited references 122

Plant Secondary Metabolites as Anticancer Agents: Successes in Clinical Trials and Therapeutic Application

Thermal and Textural Properties of Organogels Developed by Candelilla Wax in Safflower Oil

Euphorbia hirta: Its chemistry, traditional and medicinal uses, and pharmacological activities

Author and article information

Journal

Affiliations

Author notes

Author information

Article

History

Categories

Comments

Comment on this article

Similar content 473

Cited by 21

Most referenced authors 1,153