Wen-Hua Chen1, Zhen-Zhen Zhang2, Yan-Fei Ban3, Khalid Rahman4, Bing-Zhu Ye3, Xiao-Lei Sun5, Hui-Ying Tan1, Xiao-Hua Zheng1, Hong-Yan Liu1, Ling-Chuan Xu6, Bin Yan7, Ting Han8. 1. School of Pharmacy, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 4655 Daxue Road, Jinan, 250355, China. 2. Naval Medical Institute of PLA, 880 Xiangyin Road, Shanghai, 200433, China. 3. Department of Pharmacognosy, School of Pharmacy, Navy Medical University, 325 Guohe Road, Shanghai, 200433, China. 4. Faculty of Science, School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Byrom Street, Liverpool, L3 3AF, UK. 5. School of Pharmacy, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 4655 Daxue Road, Jinan, 250355, China; Department of Pharmacognosy, School of Pharmacy, Navy Medical University, 325 Guohe Road, Shanghai, 200433, China. 6. School of Pharmacy, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 4655 Daxue Road, Jinan, 250355, China. Electronic address: xulingchuan518@sina.com. 7. School of Pharmacy, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 4655 Daxue Road, Jinan, 250355, China. Electronic address: robinyan2002@163.com. 8. Department of Pharmacognosy, School of Pharmacy, Navy Medical University, 325 Guohe Road, Shanghai, 200433, China. Electronic address: than927@163.com.
Abstract
ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Cynanchum bungei Decne. (CB) (Asclepiadaceae) and its two related species Cynanchum auriculatum Royle ex Wight. (CA) and Cynanchum wilfordii (Maxim.) Hemsl. (CW) are well known Chinese herbal medicines known by the name Baishouwu. Among them, CB has long been used for nourishing the kidney and liver, strengthening the bones and muscles, and regulating stomachache. However, to date, no comprehensive review on Baishouwu has been published. AIM OF THE REVIEW: This review aims to provide a comprehensive summary on traditional uses, phytochemistry, pharmacology, and toxicology of the three herbal components of Baishouwu with the ultimate objective of providing a guide for future scientific and therapeutic potential use of Baishouwu. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A literature search was undertaken on CB, CA and CW by analyzing the information from scientific databases (SciFinder, Pubmed, Elsevier, Google Scholar, Web of Science, and Baidu Scholar). Information was also gathered from local classic herbal literatures and conference papers on ethnopharmacology and the information provided in this review has been obtained from peer-reviewed papers. RESULTS: Comparative analysis of literature search indicate that ethnopharmacological use of CB was recorded in China, however, CA and CW have been used in China, Korea and Japan. To date, 151 chemical compounds have been isolated from these species, and the major chemical constituents have been revealed to be acetophenones, C21-steroids, terpenoids, and alkaloids. These compounds and extracts have been proven to exhibit significant pharmacological activities, including anti-tumor, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, hypolipidemic, anti-obesity, hepatoprotective, antifungal, antiviral, anti-depressant, vasodilating and estrogenic activities. CONCLUSIONS: CB, CA and CW collectively known as Baishouwu are valuable medicinal herbs with multiple pharmacological activities. The traditional use for nourishing liver is closely associated with the hepatoprotective activity. The available literature performs that various of the activity of Baishouwu can be attributed to acetophenones and C21-steroids. It is high time that more efforts should be focused on the underlying mechanisms of their beneficial bioactivities and the structure activity relationship of the constituents, as well as their potential synergistic and antagonistic effects. The proper toxicology evaluation is crucial to guarantee the safety, efficacy, and eligibility for medical use. Further research on the comprehensive evaluation of medicinal quality and the understanding of multi-target network pharmacology of Baishouwu is in great request.
ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Cynanchum bungei Decne. (CB) (Asclepiadaceae) and its two related species Cynanchum auriculatum Royle ex Wight. (CA) and Cynanchum wilfordii (Maxim.) Hemsl. (CW) are well known Chinese herbal medicines known by the name Baishouwu. Among them, CB has long been used for nourishing the kidney and liver, strengthening the bones and muscles, and regulating stomachache. However, to date, no comprehensive review on Baishouwu has been published. AIM OF THE REVIEW: This review aims to provide a comprehensive summary on traditional uses, phytochemistry, pharmacology, and toxicology of the three herbal components of Baishouwu with the ultimate objective of providing a guide for future scientific and therapeutic potential use of Baishouwu. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A literature search was undertaken on CB, CA and CW by analyzing the information from scientific databases (SciFinder, Pubmed, Elsevier, Google Scholar, Web of Science, and Baidu Scholar). Information was also gathered from local classic herbal literatures and conference papers on ethnopharmacology and the information provided in this review has been obtained from peer-reviewed papers. RESULTS: Comparative analysis of literature search indicate that ethnopharmacological use of CB was recorded in China, however, CA and CW have been used in China, Korea and Japan. To date, 151 chemical compounds have been isolated from these species, and the major chemical constituents have been revealed to be acetophenones, C21-steroids, terpenoids, and alkaloids. These compounds and extracts have been proven to exhibit significant pharmacological activities, including anti-tumor, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, hypolipidemic, anti-obesity, hepatoprotective, antifungal, antiviral, anti-depressant, vasodilating and estrogenic activities. CONCLUSIONS: CB, CA and CW collectively known as Baishouwu are valuable medicinal herbs with multiple pharmacological activities. The traditional use for nourishing liver is closely associated with the hepatoprotective activity. The available literature performs that various of the activity of Baishouwu can be attributed to acetophenones and C21-steroids. It is high time that more efforts should be focused on the underlying mechanisms of their beneficial bioactivities and the structure activity relationship of the constituents, as well as their potential synergistic and antagonistic effects. The proper toxicology evaluation is crucial to guarantee the safety, efficacy, and eligibility for medical use. Further research on the comprehensive evaluation of medicinal quality and the understanding of multi-target network pharmacology of Baishouwu is in great request.