Traditional uses, phytochemistry, pharmacology and current uses of underutilized Xanthoceras sorbifolium bunge: A review

Abstract

Ethnopharmacological relevance: The Plant Xanthoceras sorbifolium Bunge (X. sorbifolia) has a long history of medicinal use as a traditional Chinese herbal medicine to deal with sterilizing, killing sperm, stabilizing capillary, hemostasis, lowering cholesterol, rheumatism, and pediatric enuresis. Additionally, X. sorbifolia is an oil crop for the production of edible oil due to the health-promotion effect. In recent years, X. sorbifolia has attracted worldwide attention as an important economic crop with low investment and high-income potential.

Aim of the review: This review aims to provide a comprehensive appraisal of X. sorbifolia, including the traditional uses, nutrients, phytochemical data, biological activities, and current applications. The natural compounds of X. sorbifolia and potential utilization in pharmacology are highlighted. The aim of this review is to inspire the research enthusiasm to X. sorbifolia and promote the comprehensive utilization of X. sorbifolia.

Materials and methods: The research information of X. sorbifolia was collected via Elsevier, American Chemical Society (ACS), PubMed, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Baidu scholar, and Google scholar. Additionally, some information was collected from Ph.D. and Master's dissertations, as well as local books.

Results: The identification of approximately 195 major phytochemical compounds from different parts of X. sorbifolia is presented in this review, including triterpenoids, flavonoids, phenolic acids, coumarins, lignans, meroterpenoids, monoterpene, alkaloids, and sterol. Among them, triterpenoids, flavonoids, and phenolic acids are the major compounds. Extracts from X. sorbifolia exhibited a wide range of biological activities, such as antioxidant, antibacterial, anti-tumor, anti-neuroinflammatory, anti-adipogenesis, anti-obesity, anti-HIV, gastroprotective, immunoregulatory, and anti-inflammatory activities.

Conclusions: Modern pharmacological studies have been well supported and clarified the traditional medicinal uses of X. sorbifolia, which brought a promising prospect for the pharmaceutical value of this plant. However, the related mechanisms between the structure and pharmacological effects were seldom reported. Also, at present, effective and in-depth research on X. sorbifolia is still relatively lacking. Moreover, there is little research on toxicological experiments. Further clinical trials should also be performed to accelerate the drug research and development.

Keywords: Application; Nutritional value; Pharmacological activity; Phytochemistry; Xanthoceras sorbifolium Bunge.