Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tshwane University of Technology, Private Bag X680, Pretoria, 0001, South Africa.
Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tshwane University of Technology, Private Bag X680, Pretoria, 0001, South Africa; SAMRC Herbal Drugs Research Unit, Faculty of Science, Tshwane University of Technology, Private Bag X680, Pretoria, 0001, South Africa.
J Ethnopharmacol. 2021 Nov 15;280:114416. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2021.114416. Epub 2021 Jul 12.
The genus Croton (Euphorbiaceae) encompasses 1300 species, which consist of a variety of trees and shrubs distributed across the world. About 26 species are harboured on the African continent. This genus plays an essential role in African folk medicine. Croton species are traditionally used for the treatment of many diverse conditions such as diabetes, malaria, sexually transmitted diseases, cancer, inflammation, fever, digestive problems and fungal infections.
To provide a comprehensive overview of the ethnobotany, traditional uses, phytochemistry and biological activities of six selected southern Africa Croton species; C.gratissimus Burch., C. megalobotrys Müll.-Arg., C. menyhartii Gȕrke, C. pseudopulchellus Pax, C. steenkampianus Gerstner and C. sylvaticus Schltdl.).
Various electronic databases, namely Google, Google Scholar, Scopus, ScienceDirect, Biomed Central and Pubmed, were used to search for information related to the traditional uses, chemistry and pharmacology of Croton species. Books were also consulted to collect all pertinent information.
The ethnopharmacology, phytochemistry and biological activities of southern African Croton species are reviewed. The literature revealed that Croton species are trusted traditional medicines for the treatment of microbial infections and malaria. The non-volatile components of Croton species include flavonoids, terpenoids and alkaloids, while the volatile constituents comprise mainly of monoterpenes (α-phellandrene, α-pinene and 1,8-cineole) and sesquiterpenes (caryophyllene oxide). Most of the reported biological activities (anti-oxidant, antimicrobial, anticancer and antimalarial) were based on in vitro assays and were accredited to various extracts. However, both in vitro and in vivo studies, linking the reported activities to specific compounds, are still lacking.
Croton species are used in traditional medicine to treat a range of ailments, and various in vitro biological activities have been investigated, with some extracts exhibiting good activity that could be considered for further investigation. The in vitro activities obtained seem to justify the use of Croton species in traditional medicine. Data on in vivo studies are scarce and studies usually focused on a single collection. The need to establish a quality control protocols for the standardisation of these herbal drugs is also important.
大戟属（大戟科）包含 1300 种，其中包括分布在世界各地的各种树木和灌木。非洲大陆上约有 26 种。该属在非洲民间医学中起着重要作用。大戟属植物传统上用于治疗多种不同的疾病，如糖尿病、疟疾、性传播疾病、癌症、炎症、发烧、消化问题和真菌感染。
提供综合概述六种选定的南部非洲大戟属物种的民族植物学、传统用途、植物化学和生物活性；C.gratissimus Burch.、C. megalobotrys Müll.-Arg.、C. menyhartii Gȕrke、C. pseudopulchellus Pax、C. steenkampianus Gerstner 和 C. sylvaticus Schltdl.）。
使用各种电子数据库，即 Google、Google Scholar、Scopus、ScienceDirect、Biomed Central 和 Pubmed，搜索与大戟属物种的传统用途、化学和药理学相关的信息。还查阅了书籍以收集所有相关信息。
综述了南部非洲大戟属物种的民族药理学、植物化学和生物活性。文献表明，大戟属植物是治疗微生物感染和疟疾的可靠传统药物。大戟属植物的非挥发性成分包括黄酮类、萜类和生物碱，而挥发性成分主要包括单萜（α-水芹烯、α-蒎烯和 1,8-桉叶素）和倍半萜（石竹烯氧化物）。所报道的大多数生物活性（抗氧化、抗菌、抗癌和抗疟）都是基于体外测定，并归功于各种提取物。然而，将报道的活性与特定化合物联系起来的体外和体内研究仍然缺乏。
大戟属植物在传统医学中用于治疗多种疾病，并且已经研究了各种体外生物活性，一些提取物表现出良好的活性，可以进一步研究。体外活性似乎证明了大戟属植物在传统医学中的使用是合理的。关于体内研究的数据很少，研究通常集中在单一的集合上。建立这些草药药物的质量控制协议以实现标准化也很重要。
