Bridelia ferruginea Benth.; An ethnomedicinal, phytochemical, pharmacological and toxicological review

Genevieve Naana Yeboah; Frederick William Akuffo Owusu; Mary-Ann Archer; Michael Odoi Kyene; Doris Kumadoh; Frederick Ayertey; Susana Oteng Mintah; Peter Atta-Adjei Junior; Alfred Ampomah Appiah

doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e10366

Bridelia ferruginea Benth.; An ethnomedicinal, phytochemical, pharmacological and toxicological review

Heliyon. 2022 Aug 23;8(8):e10366. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e10366. eCollection 2022 Aug.

Authors

Genevieve Naana Yeboah¹, Frederick William Akuffo Owusu², Mary-Ann Archer¹, Michael Odoi Kyene¹, Doris Kumadoh¹, Frederick Ayertey³, Susana Oteng Mintah⁴, Peter Atta-Adjei Junior⁵, Alfred Ampomah Appiah³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Pharmaceutics and Quality Control, Centre for Plant Medicine Research, Mampong, Ghana.
² Department of Pharmaceutics, Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana.
³ Department of Phytochemistry, Centre for Plant Medicine Research, Mampong, Ghana.
⁴ Department of Microbiology, Centre for Plant Medicine Research, Mampong, Ghana.
⁵ Plant Development Department, Centre for Plant Medicine Research, Mampong, Ghana.

Abstract

Ethnopharmacological relevance: Bridelia ferruginea belonging to the family Euphorbiaceae, identified as an important commonly growing shrub, is used in traditional medicine for managing arthritis, dysentery, constipation, chronic diabetes, skin diseases, bladder and intestinal disorders, oral infections, thrush, bites and as an arrow poison antidote. This review aims at providing information on the traditional medicinal uses, pharmacological activities, phytochemistry and toxicity studies of Bridelia ferruginea to bridge the gap between traditional medicinal uses and preclinical studies on B. ferruginea and subsequently lead to the development of valued added medicines from B. ferruginea.

Materials and methods: Data in this review were compiled using databases such as Google Scholar, Science Direct, Scopus, PubMed, Springer link, Elsevier and Taylor and Francis, articles from peer reviewed journals and other grey literature (short notes, book chapters, short communications) to access all the relevant information available on B. ferruginea.

Results: B. ferruginea contains different phytochemicals including flavonoids, phenolics, phytosterols, triterpenes, saponins, alkaloids and cardiac glycosides. Gallocatechin-(4'-O-7)-epigallocatechin, 3,5-dicaffeoylquinic acid, 1,3,4,5-tetracaffeoylquinic acid and some derivatives of 3-methoxyflavone, such as quercetin-3-methyl ether, quercetin 3-,7,3',4'-tetramethyl ether, myricetin 3',4',5'-trimethyl ether, myricetin 3,3',4',5'-tetramethyl ether, myricetin and quercetin 3-O-glucoside specific flavonoids and biflavonoids like apigenin, kaempferol and glycosides of both have been isolated and further characterized from B. ferruginea. B. ferruginea has several pharmacologically beneficial properties including anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-infective, antipyretic, analgesic, diuretic and natriuretic activities.

Conclusion: The wide distribution, traditional medicinal uses and wealth of phytochemicals present in B. ferruginea suggests that the plant can be useful in lead compound discovery. Although B. ferruginea has been widely studied, further studies on the mechanism of action, bioavailability, pharmacokinetics, toxicity and side effects in humans need to be investigated.

Keywords: Bridelia ferruginea; Lead compound discovery; Pharmacological activities; Phytochemicals; Traditional medicine.