Plant Latex: a Natural Source of Pharmaceuticals and Pesticides R Ticle Ravi K
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Plant latex: A natural source of pharmaceuticals and pesticides TICLE R Ravi K. Upadhyay Department of Zoology, D. D. U. Gorakhpur University, Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, India A In recent times use of plant natural products has increased tremendously, and there is a very high demand of herbal products for therapeutic, clinical, agricultural purposes. Plant latex is a rich source of pharmaceuticals, pesticides and immune allergens. It also contains important biomolecules such as glycosides, tannins, phytosterols, Flavonoids, acetogenins and saponins, which show diverse biolgical activities against bacteria, fungi, viruses, protozoans, nematodes, insects, and cancer and tumours. It is also used EVIEW as disinfectant, anticoagulant, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and antiproliferative agent that provides protection in wounds. It contains wide variety of industrially important metabolic substances which can be harvested, modified, quenched, and polymerized R easily for making goods and materials by up-gradation of technology. No doubt it is a future raw material for many bioengineering and biotechnological industries. Key words: Acetogenins, bioactivity, flavaonoids, plant latex, saponins INTRODUCTION substances that cause allergic reactions and induce immediate-type hypersensitivity in them. In addition Latex is a natural plant polymer secreted by highly plant latex contains wide diversity of bioactive chemicals specialized cells known as laticifers. Latex is milky fluid which showed different biological activities such as secreted by ducts of laticiferous tissue[1] and mainly anti-carcinogenic, anti-proliferative, anti-inflammatory, flow inside laticifers including roots, stems, leaves and vasodilatory, antioxidant, antimicrobial, antiparasitic and fruits of all flowering plants.[2] It is an emulsion like insecticidal. [9] It also has wider applications in the field of sticky material that exudes from various plant parts medical sciences and is used for preparation of adhesives, after having a small tissue injury. In most plant species polymers, films, gloves and other important diagnostic latex is squirt out as white glue from bark of plants. materials. Today, it is one of most important natural It is a complex mixture of proteins, alkaloids, starch, source of immune allergens, pharmaceuticals, pesticides sugars, oils, tannins, resins and gums.[3] In most plants, and industrial products. With the advent of new latex color is normally white, yellow, orange, or scarlet technology plant latex may have many more applications but its color changes after an air exposure. It is stable if it is used as a basic raw material for preparation of dispersion of polymer micro-particles in an aqueous household and immunodiagnostic materials. medium that coagulates on exposure to air. Latex from few plants contains an elastic polymer related to rubber[4] Uses of Latex and form films without releasing potential organic Plant latex has wider ethno-pharmacological applications solvent.[2] It also contains cysteine proteases, profilins as it is used by local tribal communities for wound and chitin-related proteins that act as catalytic enzymes[5] healing, burns, joint pain and for controlling worm and provide defense against phytopathogenic fungi and infections. Plant latex used to make paintings, elastics, other bacterial infections.[6,7] It serves as defense material swim caps, condoms, catheters, medical gloves and and prevents herbivorous insects from feeding.[8] In balloons and also used to prepare chewing gum. It is addition, plant latex also contains hazardous chemical mixed in cement as an additive and provides quick physical strength for solidification. Latex, derivative Access this article online styrene is used to prepare ELISA plates and other Quick Response Code: immuno diagnostic materials. Plant latex contains a Website: mixture of many bioactive components that displayed www.greenpharmacy.info multiple biological activities such as proteolytic,[5] anthelmintic,[10] insecticidal,[8] anti-inflammatory,[11] [12] [13] DOI: antioxidant and anticancer activities. Plant 10.4103/0973-8258.91222 latex is used to treat parasitic infections and as an anticoagulant. [14] Few important latex secreting plant Address for correspondence: Dr. Ravi K. Upadhyay, Department of Zoology, D. D. U. Gorakhpur University, Gorakhpur - 273 009, Uttar Pradesh, India. E-mail: [email protected] Received: 14-09-2011; Accepted: 22-09-2011 169 International Journal of Green Pharmacy | July-September 2011 | Upadhyay: A review on plant latex such as Papaver somniferum provide opium that contains and inhibit mycelium growth of Microsporum gypseum opiates and alkaloids which have very high medicinal value and Trichophyton mentagrophytes.[17] Latex is also used in and are used for various medicinal purposes [Figure 1].[15] fishing,[18] veterinary[19] and human medicine,[20] as well as Similarly, proanthocyanidin isolated from Jatropha curcas biofuel.[21] Latex from Synadenium umbellatum is used as latex shows enormous protection to wounds,[16] while an anticoagulant and also to treat diabetes mellitus and latex from Croton bonplandianum exhibits very high toxicity tumour.[22] Figure 1: Showing major components isolated from latex of different plant species | July-September 2011 | International Journal of Green Pharmacy 170 Upadhyay: A review on plant latex Composition of Plant Latex variety of cytokines and growth factors to reach the damaged The molecular formula of latex is C3H3N (carbon, hydrogen tissue. It also induces angiogenesis and help to repair and nitrogen). It contains so many constituents such wound, inhibit tumoural growth and do revascularization as glycoloipids, alkaloids, acids, laticifer proteins, acid of tissues. Few active secondary metabolites such as phosphatase from Euphorbia characias latex.[23] Latex from diterpenoids, curcusone C, curcusone D, multidione, Hevea brasiliensis contains glycolipids i.e. steryl glucosides 15-epi-4Z-jatrogrossidentadion, 4Z-jatrogrossidentadion, (SG), esterified steryl glucosides (ESG), monogalactosyl 4E-jatrogrossidentadion, 2-hydroxyisojatrogrossidion diacylglycerols (MGDG) and digalactosyl diacylglycerols and 2-epi-hydroxyisojatrogrossidion isolated from (DGDG) [Figure 1]. It also contains stigmasterol, β-sitosterol Jatropha curcas showed strong cytotoxic effect against and Δ (5)-avenasterol[24] [Figure 1]. Latex is a complex L5178y mouse lymphoma cells.[35] Latex of Jatropha curcas mixture of secondary metabolites[25] [Table 1]. It contains contains alkaloids including Jatrophine, Jatropham and many phytochemicals such as proteins, alkaloids, sterols, curcain which show anti-cancerous properties. Similarly, fatty acids, starches, sugars, oils, tannins, resins, and alkaloids such as, vinblastine and vincristine isolated from gums, and many enzymatic proteins such as proteases Catharanthus roseus (Madagascar periwinkle) are used to chitenases, lipases, peptidases, esterase, thrombins, cure Hodgkin’s disease and to control acute lymphocytic plasmins, peroxidases, papain hevein, lectins and diversity leukemia in children. [36] Similar activity against leaukemia of allergens[25,26] [Table 2]. Most of them show proteolytic and and tumour was observed in Synadenium umbellatum Pax, protease activity. Latex also contains glycosides, tannins, popularly known as “cola-nota”. It shows both mutagenic phytosterols, flavaonoids, acetogenins and saponins, and antimutagenic effects in bone marrow cells of mice. [22] which show diverse biolgical activities against bacteria, Moreover, a cysteine protease (CMS2MS2) isolated from fungi, viruses, protozoans, nematodes, insects and cancer Carica cardamarcensis latex enhance proliferation of L929 and tumour cell lines. Latex from fruits and pollens also fibroblast and activate the extracellular signal-regulated contains profilins, which evoke allergic sensitization in man protein kinase and shows mitogenic effect on fibroblast.[37] and generate high levels of cross-reactive IgE antibodies Similar, antitumour activity is reported in barks and against plant food. root extracts of some Apocynaceae plants[38] such as Allamanda,[39] Alstonia,[40] Calotropis,[41] Catharanthus,[42] Latex Defense Cerbera,[43] Nerium,[44] Plumeria[45] and Tabernaemontana,[46] Latex plays an important role in plant-insect interactions. F. carica latex.[47] Himatanthus drasticus janaguba”, It is considered as analogous to animal venom because it (Apocynaceae) latex is highly rich in triterpenes such as contains cysteine proteases, which provide defense against Lupeol, betulin, betulinic acid and calenduladiol and is herbivorous insects (Kitajima et al.)[8] and phytopathogenic used for the treatment of tumours and ulcers[48] due to the fungi.[27] Similarly, both osmatin and thumatin proteins presence of a wide diversity of compounds, display high isolated from Calatropis procera, were found effective substrate specificity[49] [Table 2]. against fungi Fusarium solini (IC50 67 µg/ ml), Nurospora (IC50C 57.5 µg/ml), and Collettricum gloesoriodes 32.1 µg/ Antiproliferative Activities ml).[28] Similar activity is reported in Pulmera rubra, and Latex from Alstonia angustiloba, Calotropis gigantea, Euphorbia tirucallai latex proteins against phytopathogens. [27] Dyera costulata, Kopsia fruticosa and Vallaris glabra Similarly, a protein secreted peroxidase class III isolated belonging to family Apocynaceae showed antiproliferative from Euphorbia characias acts as a catalytic enzyme.[23] More (APF) activities due