Plectranthus ecklonii Benth: A Comprehensive Review Into its Phytochemistry and Exerted Biological Activities

Ethnopharmacological Relevance:Plectranthus genus (Lamiaceae family) contain several species with acknowledged ethnopharmacological uses, such as, for gastrointestinal and respiratory-related problems, due to their anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and antifungal properties. The bioactivity of isolated medicinal compounds from this genus justifies the increased interest in recent times for species of Plectranthus, placing them in the spotlight for natural product drug development.Aim of the study: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first review on the biological activities of Plectranthus ecklonii Benth. As such, the aim of this review was three-fold: 1) to summarize the chemical compounds isolated from P. ecklonii; 2) to collate the biological activities and mechanisms of action of these compounds from in vitro studies; and 3) to evaluate the documented uses and potential applications of this species, in order to postulate on the direction of pharmaceutical uses of this species.Materials and methods: An extensive database retrieval was performed using the electronic databases Web of Science, PubMed, Google Scholar and ScienceDirect. The search criteria consisted of the keywords “Plectranthus ecklonii”, “Plectranthus ecklonii + review”, “Plectranthus ecklonii + diterpenes” or “Plectranthus ecklonii + abietanes”, “ecklonii + parviflorone D”, searched individually and as combinations. Eligibility criteria were set out and titles in English, Portuguese and Spanish were reviewed, with all references included dating from 1970 to 2021. A total of 169 papers were selected and included. Chemical structures were drawn using ChemDraw 20.0, CID numbers were searched in PubChem and the PRISMA diagram was created using PowerPoint 2012.Results: To date, a total of 28 compounds have been isolated from P. ecklonii, including diterpenes, triterpenes, flavonoids, and hydroxycinnamic acids. Most focused on the antimicrobial action of its constituents, although compounds have demonstrated other bioactivities, namely antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antitumor. The most recent studies emphasize the diterpenoids, particularly parviflorone D, with the help of nanotechnology.Conclusions: The widespread ethnobotanical and traditional uses of P. ecklonii can be scientifically justified by a range of biological activities, demonstrated by isolated secondary metabolites. These bioactivities showcase the potential of this species in the development of economically important active pharmaceutical ingredients, particularly in anticancer therapy.

A systematic Review of Aloe vera and its Properties

Aloe vera is one of the oldest medicinal plant ever known, commonly known as Ghrit Kumari. It is well known for its therapeutic potential. Some of its beneficial effects include anticancer, hypoglycemic, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, burn healing properties. Phytochemistry of Aloe vera gel has revealed presence of bioactive chemicals. In this review paper, properties of Aloe vera, its composition, its beneficial effects and pharmaceutical uses, its application in foods and cosmetics etc. have been summarized.

Marine Terpenic Endoperoxides

Organic extracts of marine invertebrates, mainly sponges, from seas all over the world are well known for their high in vitro anticancer and antibiotic activities which make them promising sources of compounds with potential use as pharmaceutical leads. Most of the structures discovered so far have a peculiar structural feature in common: a 1,2-dioxane ring. This is a highly reactive heterocycle that can be considered as an endoperoxide function. Together with other structural features, this group could be responsible for the strong biological activities of the substances present in the extracts. Numerous research programs have focused on their structural elucidation and total synthesis since the seventies. As a consequence, the number of established chiral centres and the similarity between different naturally occurring substances is increasingly higher. Most of these compounds have a terpenoid nature, mainly diterpene and sesterterpene, with several peculiar structural features, such as the loss of one carbon atom. Although there are many reviews dealing with the occurrence of marine peroxides, their activities, or potential pharmaceutical uses, no one has focused on those having a terpene origin and the endoperoxide function. We present here a comprehensive review of these compounds paying special attention to their structural features and their biological activity.

Spent Coffee Ground Oil as a Potential Alternative for Vegetable Oil Production: Evidence from Oil Content, Lipid Profiling, and Physicochemical Characterization

In this work, routinely measured physicochemical indices and lipid profiling of oil extracted from spent coffee grounds (SCG) were evaluated to assess the suitability of SCG as a new candidate for oil production. The obtained results reveal that the oil yield was 18.55±1.5 g/100g. Physicochemical indices were comparable to those of widely consumed vegetable oils in the range set in several studies. The main fatty acids of SCG oil were linoleic acid 43.20±2.19 g/100g, palmitic acid 31.78±2.02 g/100g, and oleic acid 12.68±1.15 g/100g dry basis. For sterol composition, β-sitosterol was the most abundant sterol (44.70±0.01%), followed by stigmasterol (27.57±0.01%) and campesterol (12.16±0.01%). In conclusion, this composition is typical for many other vegetable oils. Therefore, this oil may be considered a good alternative for vegetable oil production for new multi-purpose products such as cosmetic and industrial pharmaceutical uses.

Review on Transferosomes and Transferosomal Gels

Transdermal drug delivery systems (TDDS), which are self-administrable and non-invasive, can improve bioavailability and patient compliance by bypassing first-pass metabolism. Vesicular-based TDDS have attracted a lot of attention in recent years because they're designed for controlled, efficient, and targeted drug delivery. One of these delivery technologies, transferosomal-based formulations, has grown in popularity due to its ability to achieve all of the desired criteria and quality qualities. Transferosomes combine the characteristics of liposomes and niosomes because they contain both liposomes (phospholipids and cholesterols) and niosomes as components (nonionic surfactants; edge activators). as a result, they are referred to as the first generation of elastic liposomes. However transdermal drug delivery is difficult due to the presence of the skin's protective barrier, transferosomal drug delivery overcomes all obstacles due to its unique characteristics, such as its ultradeformable vesicular nature. The benefits, limitations, modes of penetration, formulations, production and assessment methodologies, and pharmaceutical uses of transferosomal drug delivery systems are discussed in this paper. Conclusion: Transferosomes have several importance over other vesicular systems, including greater deformability, greater penetration power across skin, the ability to deliver systemic drugs, and higher stability.

Development and validation of a gas chromatography method for the determination of β-caryophyllene in clove extract and its application

The purpose of this study is to check the effectiveness of the analysis method that separates and quantifies β-caryophyllene among clove extracts and validate according to current ICH guidelines. The β-caryophyllene was active constituent of clove buds. The developed method gave a good detection response. In the specificity test, the standard solution was detected at about 17.32 min, and the test solution was detected at 17.32 min. The linearity of β-caryophyllen was confirmed, and at this time, the correlation coefficient (R2) of the calibration curve showed a high linearity of 0.999 or more in the concentration range. The levels of LOD and LOQ were 1.28 ug/mL and 3.89 ug/mL, respectively. The accuracy was confirmed to be 101.6–102.2% and RSD 0.95 ~ 1.31%. As a result of checking the repeatability and inter-tester reproducibility to confirm the precision, the RSD was found to be 1.34 ~ 2.69%. This validated GC method was successfully applied to a soft capsule containing clove extract and other materials for clinical trials. Therefore, this method can be used as an analytical tool for quality control of various samples, including clove extracts and their products of food and pharmaceutical uses.

Herbal extracts and essential oils microencapsulation studies for different applications

Studies on bioactivities of numerous essential oils (EOs) and herbal extracts compounds against diseases are crucial. Microencapsulation methods development might be an alternative to obtain bioactive compounds for cosmetics and pharmaceutical uses. In this study, we carried out a literature review of 219 503 data articles using ScienceDirect, Redalyc, Web of Science, Scopus, SciELO, and Google Scholar databases in English and Spanish, after with inclusion (original articles, book chapters, and theoretical references) and exclusion criteria (frameworks description), we found 1854 restricting the publication years between 2004 and August 2020 and 35 relevant articles with our scope research. References found contained a collection of methods that could be utilized to create microcapsules, including coacervation, extrusion, polymerization, and spray drying. This article analyzed the most recent and advanced microencapsulation techniques and their applications in the food, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical industries. Herbal extracts and EOs have many applications, depending on the wall materials and microencapsulation methods that could help know about selective release and efficacy to ensure optimal dosing and other advantages; thus, improving the profitability of these product manufacturers.

Jojoba Oil: An Updated Comprehensive Review on Chemistry, Pharmaceutical Uses, and Toxicity

Jojoba is a widely used medicinal plant that is cultivated worldwide. Its seeds and oil have a long history of use in folklore to treat various ailments, such as skin and scalp disorders, superficial wounds, sore throat, obesity, and cancer; for improvement of liver functions, enhancement of immunity, and promotion of hair growth. Extensive studies on Jojoba oil showed a wide range of pharmacological applications, including antioxidant, anti-acne and antipsoriasis, anti-inflammatory, antifungal, antipyretic, analgesic, antimicrobial, and anti-hyperglycemia activities. In addition, Jojoba oil is widely used in the pharmaceutical industry, especially in cosmetics for topical, transdermal, and parenteral preparations. Jojoba oil also holds value in the industry as an anti-rodent, insecticides, lubricant, surfactant, and a source for the production of bioenergy. Jojoba oil is considered among the top-ranked oils due to its wax, which constitutes about 98% (mainly wax esters, few free fatty acids, alcohols, and hydrocarbons). In addition, sterols and vitamins with few triglyceride esters, flavonoids, phenolic and cyanogenic compounds are also present. The present review represents an updated literature survey about the chemical composition of jojoba oil, its physical properties, pharmacological activities, pharmaceutical and industrial applications, and toxicity.

A Review on Effect of Various Parameters on the Rheological Behaviour, Thermal Properties and Viscosity of Potato Starch

Aim: The manuscript aims to describe the rheological behavior of potato starch in reference to different parameters. Methods: Various search engines such as Science Direct, Google Scholar, Scopus, Google Patents, etc. were used for the literature survey. Discussion: The manuscript describes the rheology and its classification. It describes the importance of rheology and factor affecting viscosity. The manuscript focuses on the physicochemical properties of potato starch, rheological properties of potato starch and pharmaceutical uses of potato starch. The rheological property of potato starch depends on the shear rate and viscosity. Conclusion: Rheological behavior of potato starch plays a significant role in food processing. In the future, potato starch will be used in various pharmaceutical companies, manufacturing, daily life and food products.

Polypodium vulgare L.: Polyphenolic Profile, Cytotoxicity and Cytoprotective Properties in Different Cell Lines

Pteridophytes, represented by ferns and allies, are an important phytogenetic bridge between lower and higher plants (gymnosperms and angiosperms). Ferns have evolved independently of any other species in the plant kingdom being its secondary metabolism a reservoir of phytoconstituents characteristic of this taxon. The study of the possible medicinal uses of Polypodium vulgare L. (Polypodiaceae), PV, has increased particularly when in 2008 the European Medicines Agency published a monograph about the rhizome of this species. Thus, our objective is to provide scientific knowledge on the methanolic extract from the fronds of P. vulgare L., one of the main ferns described in the Prades Mountains, to contribute to the validation of certain traditional uses. Specifically, we have characterized the methanolic extract of PV fronds (PVM) by HPLC-DAD and investigated its potential cytotoxicity, phototoxicity, ROS production and protective effects against oxidative stress by using in vitro methods. Our results show that PVM is not cytotoxic against the different cell lines assessed, but we found potential cytoprotective and cellular repair activity in 3T3 fibroblast cells. This biological activity could be attributed to the high content of polyphenolic compounds; thus, this extract is positioned as a potential candidate for pharmaceutical uses.