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Traditional Uses, Phytochemistry and Pharmacology of Mimusops hexandra Roxb

Neha Mishra, Arvind Pareek^*

*Corresponding author:arvindvmou@gmail.com

ARTICLE CITATION: Mishra N, Pareek A (2014). Traditional uses, phytochemistry and pharmacology of Mimusops hexandra roxb. Adv. Pharm. Ethnomed. 2 (2): 32 – 35.
Received: 2014–09–21 Revised: 2014–10–12, Accepted: 2014–10–14
The electronic version of this article is the complete one and can be found online at ( http://nexusacademicpublishers.com/table_contents_detail/15/380/html ) which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited

ABSTRACT

Mimusops hexandra (Roxb.) is an evergreen tree species with a long history of traditional medicinal uses in south Asia especially in western and central India, belongs to family Sapotaceae. The plant has been known for its curative properties and has been utilized for treatment of various diseases such as ulcer, bronchitis, jaundice, ulitis, fever, hyper dyspepsia, arthritis and alimentary disorders. A survey of the literature shows extracts and metabolites from this plant possess pharmacological properties such as anti–inflammatory, antiulcer, aphrodisiac, alexipharmic, anthelmintic, antibacterial, and free radical scavenging activity. Beside medicinal uses, plant has high economic value due to its edible and nutritive fruit, useful wood, latex and bark and provides substantial livelihood support to local inhabitants. A wide range of chemical compounds including sterols, starch, terpenoids, anthraquinone glycoside, cardiac glycoside, saponinand tannins etc. have been isolated from this species. The presented review summarizes the information concerning the traditional uses, phytochemistry and biological activity of Mimusops hexandra

Mimusops hexandra (Roxb.)[Synonym: Manilkara hexandra (Roxb.) Dubard] is ethno medicinally important species of tropical deciduous forests of western and central India. It belongs to family Sapotaceae and it is native of South Asian region (Balfour, 1873; Vincken et al., 2007). M. hexandra grows in natural wild conditions and mainly propagated through seeds.Its usage has been reported mostly in traditional medicinal system of India. Traditionally it isused in medicinal herbal drugs to cure various diseases such as jaundice, ulitis, odontopathy, fever, colic dyspepsia, helminthiasis, hyper dyspepsia and burning sensation (Joshi, 2000). It purifies the blood and beneficial in swelling, abdominal colic, gout, rheumatism and toxicosis (Rao, 1985).It contains a variety of components which possess various biological activities such asanti–inflammatory, diuretic, antiurolithiatic, analgesic, antipyretic and antimicrobial activity (Khare, 2007).

M. hexandra is commonly known as Obtuse Leaved Mimusopsin English; Khirni and Rayan in Hindi;Rajadanah in Sanskrit; Ulakkaippalai and Palai in Tamil; Patla, Pola and Kirni in Telgu; Krini and Palamunpala in Malayalam and Hale and Hannu in Kannada (Warrier, 1995). It is evergreen tree, 50–60 ft. tall, with blackish gray and deeply furrowed bark; leaves are 7–10 cm long, elliptic, obovate or oblong, flowers are bisexual, white, calyx 6–lobed, corolla 16 or 24–lobed, stamens 6, ovary is hairy and multi–locular with axile placentation, fruit is berry, one seeded shining yellow with ovoid shape and seeds are endospermic and oily (Dwivedi and Bajpai, 1974). M. hexandra yield edible fruit, useful wood and latex which are significant source of nutritional and livelihood support for tribal population (Peter,1999). The bark of this plant species is astringent, refrigerant, febrifuge, sweet, tonic and is used traditionally to treat a wide range of gastrointestinal disorders (Shah et al., 2004). Seed oil of M. hexandra is demulcent and emollient (Anjaria, 1997). The purpose of the present review is highlighting the various traditional uses, phytochemistry and pharmacological reports on Mimusopshexandra.

Ethnopharmacological studies show that M. hexandra is used in many parts of India for the treatment of number of diseases (Table 1). Mostly western and central part of India (Andra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu) has a long history of traditional medicinal use of M. hexandra. Some of these uses are outlined here.

A survey from Jalgaon district of North Maharashtra shows that its fruits are used to relieve digestive disorder (Patil and Patil, 2012). Mashed fruits of M. hexandra are taken to cure diseases like arthritis and jaundice, also used for heat burning, wormicide, and to purify blood by local population of Nawargaon village (Bakare, 2014) and Bhadrawati tehsil of Chandrapur District, Maharashtra (Harney, 2013). Tribal people of Rayalaseema region of Andhra Pradesh use M. hexandra leaf extract for treatment of asthma (Anjaneyulu and Sudarsanam, 2013).The Irulas medicinal utility of the flora in the Kodiakarai Reserve Forest (KRF) shows that the latex of M. hexandra is applied on teeth and gums for toothaches (Ragupathy and Newmaster, 2009).

According to Paderu division of Eastern Ghats of Andhra Pradesh root extract of M. hexandra is beneficial for relief from headache (Rao et al., 2010). The folk use of M. hexandra has been documented in Konda Reddy, Koyas tribes in Khammam district of Andra Pradesh, a decoction of the stem bark is used to cure dysentery and diarrhea (Raju and Reddy, 2005). The stem bark boiled with water is used for bathing to cure body ache by bhil tribe of Jhabua district, Madhya Pradesh (Maheshwary et al., 1985). Extract of stem bark is taken as tonic by Bharia and Gond Tribes of Tamiya and Petalkot of Madhya Pradesh (Rai, 1987).The stem barks infusion of M. hexandra is widely used in Konda Dora Tribes in Vishakhapatnam district of Andra Pradesh as galactagauge (Padal et al., 2013). A decoction of bark and mashed fruits are used in sacred groves in Pudukottai district Tamil Nadu for fever and hallucinations (Vinothkumar et al., 2011).

Several phytochemicals have been isolated and identified from different parts of M. hexandra. Summary of the related literature have been discussed in Table 3.

Madhak et al., (2013) observed the presence of sterols and volatile oil in leaves of M. hexandra by phytochemical analysis and appropriate chemical tests of aqueous and alcoholic extracts of leaves and lead acetate test of leaf extracts also shows the presence of tannin. Misraand Mitra (1968) isolated cinnamic acid, hentriacontane, taraxerol and quercitol from leaves of M. hexandra. Daripkar and Jadhav (2010) evaluated the proteins, lipids, carbohydrates and moisture content of fresh fruits of M. hexandra through chemical analysis which is about 3.53%, 2.6%, 22% and 71.87% respectively. A study carried out by Misra et al., (1974) show the presence of the fatty acid esters of common triterpene alcohols from fruit pulps of M. hexandra.

Three bidesmosidic saponins namely saponin 1, 2 and 3 possessing protobassic acid and 16–ahydroxyprotobassic acid as aglycons and also three phenolic compounds such as gallic acid, myrecetin, and quercetin were isolated by Eskander et al., (2013) through chromatographic separation of acetone precipitate of seeds of M. hexandra. Saeecd et al., (1991) isolated the unsaponifiable lipid constituents.

Saponinsand tannins in bark of M. hexandra through physiochemical, histochemical analysis and Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC) of alcoholic, chloroform and water extracts of M. hexandra bark. Atriterpenoidsaponin, 1β 2α, 3β, 19α–tetrahydroxyursolic acid 28–O–β–D–glucopyranosideand β–sitosterol have been isolated from the stem bark of M. hexandraby Shrivastav and Singh (1994).

Misra and Mitra (1968) have been isolated the cinnamic acid ester of α– and β–amyrins, taraxerol, α–spinasterol and quercitol from the roots of M. hexandra.

Gopalkrishnan et al., (2014) found the presence of starch, terpenoids, proteins, anthraquinoneglycoside, cardiac glycoside, saponinsand tannins in bark of M. hexandra through physiochemical, histochemical analysis and Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC) of alcoholic, chloroform and water extracts of M. hexandra bark. A triterpenoidsaponin, 1β 2α, 3β, 19α–tetrahydroxyursolic acid 28–O–β–D–glucopyranoside and β–sitosterol have been isolated from the stem bark of M. hexandraby Shrivastav and Singh (1994)

Several pharmacological activities and medicinal applications of M. hexandra are widely known. Whole plant parts have been used for various medicinal purposes. A summary of the biological studies on M. hexandra is presented below.

Antiulcer effects of acetone extract and its different fractions namely diethyl ether, ethyl acetate and aqueous fractions of stem bark of M. hexandra have been tested by Modi et al., (2012) and Shah et al., (2004) for the presence of preliminary phytoconstituents and were screened for their antiulcer potential against experimental gastro–duodenal ulcers. The antiulcer activity was –shown by ethyl acetate extract as it decreases gastric acidsecretary activity along with strengthening of mucosal defensive mechanisms.

Gomathi(2012) indicated that polysaccharides extracted from M. hexandrabark significantly stimulate the immune system by stimulating macrophage function. Eskander et al.(2013) suggested that acetone fraction of M. hexandra containing the crude saponin mixture possessed significant anti–inflammatory activity.

Nimbekar et al., (2013) observed that methanolic extract of M. hexandra reduces theblood glucose level and shows significant hypoglycemic effect. Their study indicates that it can be use in the management or control of type II diabetes.

A study conducted by Kumar et al., (2010) shows that methanol leafextracts of M. hexandra showed strong 2, 2–diphenyl picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity.

Antibacterial activity of aqueous, petroleum and alcoholic extracts of M. hexandra was tested by Parekh and Chanda (2007; 2010) using the agar disc diffusion and agar well diffusion methods and found that ethanol or methanol extracts are active against six bacterial strains belonging to Enterobacteriaceae and various infectious diseases. The antimicrobial activities of root extracts of M. hexandra prepared in different solvents were screened by Bharwad et al., (2011) through agar well diffusion method, zone of inhibition was measured as a property of antimicrobial activity and it was observed that methanol root extracts of M. hexandra exhibited good antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, Micrococcus leutius, Salmonella paratyphi, Serratia marcescens and Klebsiella pneumonia. Mahidaet al., (2007) also indicates that extract of M. hexandra shows antibacterial activity against multi drug resistant bacteria species i.e. Salmonella typhy, S. paratyphe, Staphylococcus aurius and S. epidermis which are associated with skin, respiratory diseases and enteric fever.

CONCLUSION

Mimusops hexandra is a well–known medicinal and commercial important tree species and widely used as herbal drug and as a source of livelihood support by local tribal population.

The phytochemical studies conducted on M. hexandra indicate presence of various phytoconstituents such as sterols, tannin, saponins, unsaponifialble lipids,triterpene alcohols, terpenoids and phenolic compounds such as gallic acid, myrecetin, and quercetin etc.in different parts of the plant. Plant extracts of M. hexandra exhibit diverse categories of pharmacological activities such as antiinflammatory, antiulcer, antidiabetic, antibacterial and free radical scavenging activity etc.

However, only a small proportion has been investigated both phytochemically and pharmacologically. It is important to investigate the gaps in the studies, which may be further bridged in order to exploit the full medicinal potential of M. hexandra, as this plant has widespread use also with extraordinary medicinal potential which should be better explored to find new biological properties which may increase its importance as efficient medicinal plant in biodiversity.

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