Ruta Graveolens L

Journal of Medicinal Plants Research Vol. 6(23), pp.3942-3949, 21 June, 2012 Available online at http://www.academicjournals.org/JMPR DOI: 10.5897/JMPR12.040 ISSN 1996-0875 ©2012 Academic Journals Review Phytochemistry and pharmacological properties of Ruta graveolens L. Jinous Asgarpanah* and Roghaieh Khoshkam Department of Pharmacognosy, Pharmaceutical Sciences Branch, Islamic Azad University (IAU), Tehran, Iran. Accepted 22 May, 2012 Ruta graveolens is known as Rue. R. graveolens extracts and essential oil are important areas in drug development with numerous pharmacological activities in many countries. For a long time R. graveolens has been used in traditional medicines for the relief of pain, eye problems, rheumatism and dermatitis. R. graveolens has recently been shown to have antibacterial, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic and insecticidal activities. Rutin, quercetin, psoralen, methoxypsoralen, rutacridone, rutacridone epoxide and gravacridondiol are phytochemical compounds which are reported from this plant. α-Pinene, limonene and 1,8-cineole were identified as the main monoterpene constituents for R. graveolens essential oil. Due to the easy collection of the plant and being widespread and also remarkable biological activities, this plant has become medicine in many countries especially in Mediterranean region. This article presents comprehensive analyzed information on the botanical, chemical and pharmacological aspects of R. graveolens. Key words: Ruta graveolens, Rutaceae, pharmacology, phytochemistry. INTRODUCTION Ruta graveolens L. commonly known as Rue is an is a small evergreen sub-shrub or semi woody perennial herbaceous perennial, originally native to the 0.6 to 0.9 m tall and almost as wide. The stems become Mediterranean region. It is now cultivated in many parts woody near the base, but remain herbaceous nearer the of the world. Rue has been among the key plants of the tips (Figure 1). The 7.6 to 12.7 cm long leaves are European pharmacopoeia since ancient times. Its virtues dissected pinnately into oblong or spoon shaped were recognized by some of the greatest Greek and segments. They are somewhat fleshy and usually Roman authors including Hippocrates, Dioscorides and covered with a powdery bloom (Figure 2). The sea green Pliny (Miguel, 2003). There are two main species used in foliage has a strong, pungent, rather unpleasant scent traditional medicine of which R. graveolens is more when bruised. The paniculate clusters of small yellow important (Ratheesh and Helen, 2007). It belongs to flowers appear in midsummer, held well above the foliage Rutaceae family in the order of Sapindales that contains and often covering most of the plant. Each flower is about about 160 genera and more than 1600 species. Due to its 1.3 cm across with four concave notched petals (Figure cultural and medicinal value, rue has been introduced in 3) (Zargari, 1988). various countries of North, Central and South America, Extracts from R. graveolens have been used as an China, India, Middle East and South Africa (Miguel, antidote for toxins such as snake and scorpion venoms 2003). R. graveolens has been known as “Sodaab” in (Sallal and Alkofahi, 1996). Iran and distributed in northern parts of Iran especially in For a long time, R. graveolens has been used as a Gilan Province (Naghibi Harat et al., 2008). R. graveolens folklore medicine for treatment of various conditions such as eye problems, rheumatism, dermatitis, pain and many inflammatory diseases (Ratheesh and Helen, 2007). It acts as an emenagogue through the effect of rutin and *Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected]. Tel: stimulates the uterine basal fiber (Miguel, 2003). It was 22640051. Fax: 22602059. not recommended for use by pregnant or lactating Asgarpanah and Khoshkam 3943 women because in high concentrations it can provoke hyperemia in the uterus and high mobility (oxytocic action) which may cause abortion. At the concentrations needed for this effect, it can cause the death of a pregnant woman. R. graveolens is rich in rutin which act as a venotonic and capillary protector. Rutin helps increase visual sharpness and benefits other visual problems, and it was used against edema, thrombo- genesis, inflammation, spasms, and hypertension (Miguel, 2003). The essential oil is spasmolytic, anti- inflammatory and antihistaminic and is a vermifuge (Mansour et al. 1989). R. graveolens can also be used as a rubefacient, applied in poultices for rheumatic pain, dislocations, tendon strains, varicose veins and skin conditions such as psoriasis and eczema. It has bitter eupeptic properties, so it is prescribed for stomach and intestinal disorders. If externally spread on moist skin Figure 1. Ruta graveolens (Rue). under direct sunlight it leads to photosensitivity, caused by furanocoumarins resulting in hyper pigmentation, swelling, itching, and even burns and blistering (Miguel, 2003). The essential oil also has a depressing effect on the central nervous system. At high doses it works as a narcotic poison, provoking violent intestinal inflammation, tongue and larynx tumefaction, excitement, followed by fatigue, vertigo, mental confusion, trembling, nephritis with uterine swelling and abortion, liver damage, intestine damage, and eventually death (Miguel, 2003). A number of chemical constituents such as alkaloids, coumarins, volatile substances, terpenoids, flavonoids and furoquinolines have been isolated from different parts of the plant (kuzovkina et al., 2004). From current pharmaceutical studies, additional pharmaceutical applications of R. graveolens have revealed antioxidant, anti-inflammatory (Ratheesh and Helen, 2007), antidiabetic (Toserkani et al., 2011), Figure 2. R. graveolens leaves. antibacterial, antifungal (Meepagala et al., 2005), antiandrogenic(Khouri and El-Akawi, 2005), insecticide (Barbosa et al., 2011), effects among others. Since review and systemic analysis of chemistry, pharmacology and clinical properties of R. graveolens have not been reported, we prompted to provide the currently available information on traditional and local knowledge, ethno biological and ethno medicinal issues, identification of pharmacologically important molecules and pharmacological studies on this useful plant. The aim of this article is to introduce R. graveolens as a potent medicinal plant by highlighting its traditional applications as well as the recent findings for novel pharmacological and clinical applications. CHEMICAL COMPOSITION The commonly known phytochemical compounds from R. graveolens are acridone alkaloids, coumarins, volatile substances, terpenoids, flavonoids and furoquinolines Figure 3. R. graveolens flower. (kuzovkina et al., 2004). The existence of saponin, 3944 J. Med. Plants Res. tannins and glycosides has also been proven (Hashemi proceeding inflammation. For example, macrophages are et al., 2011). Rutin and quercetin are the main active representative inflammatory cells involved in acute or flavonoids of R. graveolens. Rutin was first isolated from chronic inflammatory responses by over-production of the leaves of R. graveolens (Pathak et al., 2003). A high pro-inflammatory cytokines [for example, tumor necrosis content of aliphatic acids, alcohols and ketons were factor (TNF)-a, interleukin (IL)-1b and granulocyte/ found in R. graveolens volatile oil (Ivanovaa et al., 2003). macrophage colony stimulating factor (GMCSF)] and 2-undecanone (33.9%), 2-Heptanol acetate (17.5%),1- inflammatory mediators (Rhee et al., 2009; Lundberg, dodecanol (11.0%), geyrene (10.4%), 2-nonanone 2003; Walsh, 2003). The aerial parts of R. graveolens (8.8%), 2-Decanone (1.9%), Geijerene (1.6%), trans- have been functionally used as a traditional crude drug piperitenone oxide (1.4%), cis-piperitenone oxide (1.2%), as a poultice against rheumatic pain (Ratheesh and 2-methyl-undecanal (1.1%), 2-dodecanone (1.1%), 2- Helen, 2007). In animal models, ethanolic and methanolic nonanol (1.1%), elemol (1.1%) are the main components extracts of Ruta graveolens with a concentration of 20 of the essential oil of the flowering aerial parts of the plant mg/kg and ethanolic extract with a concentration of 50 (Soleimani et al., 2009). R. graveolens produces high mg/kg showed maximum (90.9%) inhibition on levels of linear furanocoumarins, mostly psoralen and carrageenan induced rat paw edema. The effect was methoxypsoralen (Gravot et al., 2004). significantly (P< 0.05) higher than that of the standard Rutacridone, rutacridone epoxide and gravacridondiol drug Voveran (72.72%). Methanol extract with a are acridone alkaloids isolated from R. graveolens root concentration of 50 mg/kg b.w. produced 81.81% (Meepagala et al., 2005) while an alkaloid named inhibition, which was also high as compared to the graveoline has been isolated from the leaves (Hale et al., standard drug. Ethanolic extract with a dose of 20 mg/kg 2004) (Figure 4). and the two doses of aqueous extract produce less percentage of inhibition as compared to the standard drug Voveran (Ratheesh and Helen, 2007). POTENTIAL OF R. GRAVEOLENS IN The development of edema in the paw of the rat after PHYTOTHERAPIES the injection of carrageenan is due to release of histamine, serotonin and prostaglandin like substances According to the literature (Ahmed et al., 2010), R. (Vinegar et al., 1969). Significantly high anti-inflammatory graveolens contains approximately 2% of rutin which is activity of methanolic and ethanolic extracts of R. the main flavonoid of the plant. Flavonoids, and graveolens may be due to inhibition

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