Health functions and related molecular mechanisms of Miconia genus: A systematic review

Sathiyabama Rajiv Gandhi; Gopalsamy Rajiv Gandhi; Poovathumkal James Antony; Varghese Edwin Hillary; Stanislaus Antony Ceasar; Govindasamy Hariharan; Yi Liu; Ricardo Queiroz Gurgel; Jullyana de Souza Siqueira Quintans; Lucindo José Quintans-Júnior

doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e14609

Health functions and related molecular mechanisms of Miconia genus: A systematic review

Heliyon. 2023 Mar 16;9(3):e14609. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e14609. eCollection 2023 Mar.

Affiliations

¹ Laboratory of Neuroscience and Pharmacological Assays (LANEF), Department of Physiology (DFS), Federal University of Sergipe, São Cristóvão, 49100000, Brazil.
² Postgraduate Program of Health Sciences (PPGCS), University Hospital, Federal University of Sergipe (HU-UFS), Campus Prof. João Cardoso Nascimento, Aracaju, 49060108, Brazil.
³ Department of Biosciences, Rajagiri College of Social Sciences, Kochi, 683104, India.
⁴ Nepal Jesuit Society, Human Resource Development and Research Centre, Kathmandu, 44600, Nepal.
⁵ Department of Biochemistry, Srimad Andavan Arts and Science College (Autonomous) affiliated to the Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirapalli, 600005, India.
⁶ Research Center for Plants and Human Health, Institute of Urban Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Chengdu, 610213, China.

Abstract

The Miconia genus is traditionally used in folk medicine in Brazil and other tropical American countries and is represented by 282 species in this region. It is a multifaceted genus of medicinal plants widely used to treat rheumatoid arthritis (RA), pain, inflammatory diseases, and many more therapeutic applications. In the present study, we systematically identify and discuss the literature on in vivo and in vitro studies focusing on the therapeutic potentials and related molecular mechanisms of the Miconia genus. The review also assessed phytochemicals and their pharmacological properties and considered safety concerns related to the genus. Literature searches to identify studies on the Miconia genus were carried out through four main electronic databases, namely PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and Web of Science limited to Medical Subjects Headings (MeSH) and Descriptores en Ciencias de la Salud (DCS) (Health Sciences Descriptors) to identify studies published up to December 2022. The relevant information about the genus was gathered using the keywords 'Miconia', 'biological activities', 'therapeutic mechanisms', 'animal model, 'cell-line model', 'antinociceptive', 'hyperalgesia', 'anti-inflammatory', and 'inflammation'. The therapeutic potentials and mechanisms of action of 14 species from genus Miconia were examined in 18 in vitro studies and included their anti-inflammatory, anticancer, analgesic, antibacterial, cytotoxic, mutagenic, antioxidant, anti-leishmanial, antinociceptive, schistosomicidal, and anti-osteoarthritis potentials, and in eight in vivo studies, assessing their analgesic, antioxidant, antinociceptive, and anti-osteoarthritis activities. Some of the main related molecular mechanisms identified are the modulation of cytokines such as IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α, as well as the inhibition of inflammatory mediators and prostaglandin synthesis. The limited number of studies showed that commonly available species from the genus Miconia are safe for consumption. Miconia albicans Sw.Triana and Miconia rubiginosa (Bonpl.) DC was the most frequently used species and showed significant efficacy and potential for developing safe drugs to treat pain and inflammation.

Keywords: Analgesic; Animal model; Anti-inflammatory; Antioxidant; Miconia; Therapeutic mechanism.

Publication types

Review