Recent Advances in the Phytochemistry of Some Medicinally Important Cassia Species: a Review
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Int. J. Pharm. Med. & Bio. Sc. 2013 Sanjivani R Bhalsing and Harshal A Deshpande, 2013 ISSN 2278 – 5221 www.ijpmbs.com Vol. 2, No. 3, July 2013 © 2013 IJPMBS. All Rights Reserved Review Article RECENT ADVANCES IN THE PHYTOCHEMISTRY OF SOME MEDICINALLY IMPORTANT CASSIA SPECIES: A REVIEW Harshal A Deshpande1 and Sanjivani R Bhalsing1* *Corresponding Author:Sanjivani R Bhalsing, [email protected] Medicinal plants possess unlimited and untapped wealth of chemical compounds with high drug potential which make these plants useful as sources of biomedicines. Cassia species have been of keen interest in phytochemical due to their excellent medicinal values. All Cassia species are an important rich source of secondary metabolites, notably anthraquinone derivatives and has been used in Chinese and Ayurvedic preparations. A review of phytochemistry of some medicinally important Cassia species has been presented, considering the fact that there are about 580 species of this genus scattered all around the world. Only 46 species have been phytochemically studied. Hence, in the present article, an attempt has been made to overview phytochemical studies in Cassia species which serves as a potential source for contribution in the modern system of herbal medicine. Keywords: Medicinal plants, Cassia, phytochemical and herbal medicine INTRODUCTION therapies. Many plants contain a variety of Plants are an important source of medicines and phytopharmaceuticals, which have found very play a key role in world health (Constabel, 1990). important applications in the fields of agriculture, Almost all cultures from ancient times to today human and veterinary medicine. Plants have have used plants as medicine. Today medicinal great potential uses, especially as traditional plants are important to the global economy medicine and pharmacopoeial drugs. A large (Srivastava et al., 1995), as approximately 85% proportion of the world’s population depends on of traditional medicine preparations involve the traditional medicine because of the scarcity and use of plants or plant extracts (Vieira and Skorupa, high costs of orthodox medicine (Hudaib et al., 1993). The medicinal properties of plant species 2008). Over the past few years, however, the have made an outstanding contribution in the medicinal plants have regained a wide recognition origin and evolution of many traditional herbal due to an escalating faith in herbal medicine in 1 Department of Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, North Maharashtra University, Jalgaon, India 425001. 60 Int. J. Pharm. Med. & Bio. Sc. 2013 Sanjivani R Bhalsing and Harshal A Deshpande, 2013 view of its lesser side effects compared to for extraction of medicinally important allopathic medicine in addition the necessity of compounds. The need to screen plants for meeting the requirements of medicine for an pharmaceuticals is particularly urgent in the light increasing human population. Plant-derived of rapid deforestation and the concurrent loss of substances have recently become of great biodiversity. Moreover, only a limited number of interest owing to their versatile applications. medicinal plants have received detailed scientific Medicinal plants are the richest bio-resource of scrutiny thereby prompting the World Health drugs of traditional systems of medicine, modern Organization to recommend that this area be medicines, nutraceuticals, food supplements, folk comprehensively investigated. With an ever medicines, pharmaceutical intermediates and increasing global inclination towards herbal chemical entities for synthetic drugs. Medicinal medicine for healthcare and their boom in recent plants have provided the modern medicine with years has imposed a great threat to the numerous plant-derived therapeutic agents conservation of natural resources and (Oladunmoye et al., 2009). Natural products play endangered plant species. Currently 4,000- a dominant role in the development of novel drug 10,000 medicinal plants are on the endangered leads for the treatment and prevention of diseases species list and this number is expected to (Gilani and Rahman, 2005). Interestingly it is increase (Canter et al., 2005). The genetic estimated that more than 25% of the modern diversity of medicinal plants in the world are medicines are directly or indirectly derived from getting endangered at an alarming rate because plants. It is worth mentioning that Indian medicinal of ruinous harvesting practice and over- plants are considered as a vast source of several harvesting for production of medicines, with little pharmacologically principles and compounds or no regard to the future. Also, extensive that are commonly used as home remedies destruction of the plant-rich habitat as a result of against multiple ailments. In the past few decades forest degradation, agriculture encroachments, there has been a resurgence of interest in the urbanization, etc., is other factors. Ethano study and use of medicinal plants in health care pharmacological studies on such herbs/ and in recognition of the importance of medicinal medicinally important plants are an area of interest plants to the health system (Hoareau and DaSilva, for the investigators throughout the world. 1999). This awakening has led to a sudden rise Although in traditional medicine Cassia species in demand for herbal medicines, followed by a have been well known for their laxative and belated growth in international awareness about purgative properties and for the treatment of skin the dwindling supply of the world’s medicinal diseases, Still Cassia invites attention of plants (Bodeker, 2002). Most of the researchers worldwide for its phytochemistry and pharmaceutical industry is highly dependent on pharmacological activities ranging from wild populations for the supply of raw materials antidiabetic to antiviral. 61 Int. J. Pharm. Med. & Bio. Sc. 2013 Sanjivani R Bhalsing and Harshal A Deshpande, 2013 2-3 often reduced. Pods could be cylindrical or Table 1: Taxonomical Classification of the Genus Cassia: Scientific Classification flattened, dehiscent or indehiscent, with or without septa between seeds, constricted or not between Kingdom : Plantae seeds. Leaves are paripinnate. Petiolar glands Sub Division : Spermatophyta are present (Hutchinson, 1973; Ghanzanfar, Division : Magnoliophyta 1989) Class : Magnoliopsida Cassia: Nature’s Excellent Gift to Sub Class : Rosidae Biological Sciences Order : Fabales Cassia species have been of keen medicinal Family : Fabaceae/Leguminoceae interest in phytochemical and pharmacological Sub family : Caesalpiniaceae research due to their excellent medicinal values. Genus : Cassia Plants belonging to Cassia species are used extensively in various parts of the world against a GENERAL BOTANICAL DESCRIP- wide range of ailments, the synergistic action of TION AND PROPERTIES OF its metabolite being probably responsible for the CASSIA SPECIES plants beneficial effects. They are well known in Cassia is a large genus of around 500 species of folk medicine for their laxative and purgative uses flowering plants in the family Leguminosae (Lodha (Hennebelle et al., 2009; and Verma et al; 2010). et al; 2010) (Table 1) and is widely distributed Besides, they have been found to exhibit anti- throughout Asia including India, Mauritius, China, inflammatory (Somchit, 2003), antioxidant (Yen East Africa, South Africa, America, Mexico, West and Chuang, 2000), hypoglycemic (Jalalpure et Indies and Brazil. Cassia species belong to the al., 2004), hyperglycemic (Somachit, 2003), family Caesalpiniaceae. Caesalpiniaceae is often antiplasmodial (Iwalewa et al., 1997), larvicidal treated as a sub-family, Caesalpinioideae, of the (Yang et al., 2003), antimutagenic (Silva et al., large family Leguminosae. It is closely related to 2008) and anticancer activities (Prasanna et al., Mimosaceae and Papilionaceae, but can be 2009). They are also widely used for the treatment distinguished by few stamens and five free petals. of wounds (Joshi 2000), skin diseases such as Caesalpinioideae consist of trees, shrubs and a ringworm, scabies and eczema, gastro-intestinal few woody herbs found in the tropics. Economically, woody Caesalpiniaceae is disorders like ulcers, uterus disorders (Elujoba important for its timber. Cassia and Tamarindus et al., 1999) rheumatism, anorexia and jaundice species are used for medicinal purposes. All the (Pieme et al., 2006), In the Ayurvedic system of species of Cassia have bright yellow flowers of medicine this plant is also used for the treatment characteristic shape. The typical flower consists of fever and headache. The Ayurvedic of five similar sepals and petals. Pharmacopoeia of India indicated the fruit pulp Caesalpinioideae usually have very small for constipation, colic, chlorosis and urinary bracteoles, neither resembling nor taking the disorders. place of the calyx, which is normally developed and more or less conspicuous. Stamens which Ayurvedic Preparations are polymorphic are 10 in number with the upper Cassia species are well known for their medicinal 62 Int. J. Pharm. Med. & Bio. Sc. 2013 Sanjivani R Bhalsing and Harshal A Deshpande, 2013 and therapeutic importance. The drug has been have protective or disease preventive properties. known to Arabs for many centuries and it is Plant produces these chemicals to protect itself believed that it was introduced into Indian and but research works demonstrates that many European medicine through them. One of the phytochemicals can protect humans against preparation known of Cassia is known as diseases.