Department of Chemistry, Jamia Millia Islamia (A Central University), New Delhi 110025, India.
J Adv Res. 2016 May;7(3):499-514. doi: 10.1016/j.jare.2015.11.002. Epub 2015 Nov 30.
Bixa orellana commonly known as annatto is one of the oldest known natural dye yielding plants native to Central and South America. Various parts of annatto have been widely used in the traditional medical system for prevention and treatment of a wide number of health disorders. The plethora of traditional uses has encouraged researchers to identify and isolate phytochemicals from all parts of this plant. Carotenoids, apocarotenoids, terpenes, terpenoids, sterols, and aliphatic compounds are main compounds found in all parts of this plant and are reported to exhibit a wide range of pharmacological activities. In recent years annatto has received tremendous scientific interest mainly due to the isolation of yellow-orange natural dye from its seeds which exhibits high biodegradability, low toxicity, and compatibility with the environment. Considerable research work has already been done and is currently underway for its applications in food, textile, leather, cosmetic, solar cells, and other industries. The present review provides up-to-date systematic and organized information on the traditional usage, phytochemistry and pharmacology of annatto. It also highlights its non-food industrial applications in order to bring more interest on this dye plant, identifies the existing gaps and provides potential for future studies. Studies reported in this review have demonstrated that annatto holds a great potential for being exploited as source of drugs and a potential natural dye. However, further efforts are required to identify extract biomolecules and their action mechanisms in exhibiting certain biological activities in order to understand the full phytochemical profile and the complex pharmacological effects of this plant.
胭脂树，俗称红木，是原产于中美洲和南美洲的最古老的天然染料植物之一。胭脂树的各个部分在传统医学体系中被广泛用于预防和治疗多种健康障碍。其繁多的传统用途促使研究人员从该植物的各个部分中鉴定和分离出植物化学成分。类胡萝卜素、副类胡萝卜素、萜类、三萜类、甾醇和脂肪族化合物是该植物各部分的主要化合物，据报道具有广泛的药理活性。近年来，胭脂树受到了极大的科学关注，主要是因为从其种子中分离出的黄色橙色天然染料具有高生物降解性、低毒性和与环境的相容性。已经进行了相当多的研究工作，并且目前正在进行将其应用于食品、纺织、皮革、化妆品、太阳能电池和其他行业的研究。本综述提供了关于胭脂树的传统用途、植物化学和药理学的最新系统和有组织的信息。它还强调了其在非食品工业中的应用，以期引起人们对这种染料植物的更多关注，确定现有差距并为未来的研究提供潜力。本综述中报道的研究表明，胭脂树具有作为药物来源和潜在天然染料的巨大潜力。然而，为了了解该植物的全植物化学特征和复杂的药理作用，还需要进一步努力来鉴定提取物中的生物分子及其在表现出某些生物活性方面的作用机制。
