CAS Key Laboratory of Plant Germplasm Enhancement and Specialty Agriculture, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430074, China; Sino-Africa Joint Research Center, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430074, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China; Center of Conservation Biology, Core Botanical Gardens, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430074, China.
Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Nairobi, 62000-00200, Kenya.
J Ethnopharmacol. 2024 Jan 30;319(Pt 3):117276. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2023.117276. Epub 2023 Oct 20.
Natural products, particularly medicinal plants, have been utilized in traditional medicine for millennia to treat various diseases. The genus Balanophora (Balanophoraceae) consists of 23 accepted species. These species are the most controversial flowering plants, with highly reduced morphologies and are found parasitizing on the roots of their host. They have been used in traditional medicine as a remedy for stomach pain, detumescence, uterine prolapse, wounds, syphilis, gonorrhea, treating injuries from falls, and other conditions. However, there is no review of this genus on its traditional uses, phytochemistry, and pharmacology.
The present narrative review discusses the scientific data supporting the traditional uses of Balanophora species. The available information on its botanical properties, traditional uses, chemical contents, pharmacological activities, and toxicity was summarized to help comprehend current research and offer a foundation for future research.
The materials used in combining data on the genus Balanophora comprises online sources such as Web of Science, Google Scholar, Science Direct, and Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) for Chinese-related materials. World Flora online was used in validating the scientific names of this genus while ChemBio Draw Ultra Version 22.2 software was employed in drawing the phytochemical compounds.
Nine Balanophora species including B. harlandii, B. japonica, B. polyandra, B. fungosa, B. fungosa subsp. indica, B. laxiflora, B. abbreviata, B. tobiracola, and B. involucrata have been documented as vital sources of traditional medicines in different parts of Asia. A total of 159 secondary metabolites have been isolated and identified from the ten species of this genus comprising tannins, flavonoids, sterols, lignans, chalcones, terpenes, and phenylpropanoids. Among these compounds, tannins, lignans, terpenoids, chalcones and phenolic acids contribute to the pharmacological activities of the species in this genus with several biological activities both in vitro and in vivo such as anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, hypoglycemic activity, cytotoxicity, anti-microbial, melanin synthesis etc. CONCLUSION: This review summarizes the available literature on the traditional uses, pharmacological properties, and phytoconstituents of Balanophora species indicating that they contain fascinating chemical compounds with diverse biological activities. The traditional uses of the species in this genus have been confirmed by scientific data such as antimicrobial, hemostatic effect, gastroprotective activity and others. However, many species in this genus are yet unknown in terms of their botanical uses, chemical composition and biological activities. Thus, more research into the scientific connections between traditional medicinal uses and pharmacological activities, mode of action of the isolated bioactive constituents, and toxicity of other Balanophora species is needed to determine their efficacy and therapeutic potential for safe clinical application.
天然产物，特别是药用植物，在传统医学中已经被使用了几千年，用于治疗各种疾病。Balanophora 属（Balanophoraceae）由 23 种已被接受的物种组成。这些物种是最具争议性的开花植物，具有高度退化的形态，寄生在其宿主的根部。它们在传统医学中被用作治疗胃痛、消肿、子宫脱垂、伤口、梅毒、淋病、跌打损伤和其他疾病的药物。然而，关于该属的传统用途、植物化学和药理学，尚未有综述。
本综述讨论了支持 Balanophora 属物种传统用途的科学数据。总结了有关其植物学特性、传统用途、化学成分、药理活性和毒性的现有信息，以帮助理解当前的研究，并为未来的研究提供基础。
用于结合有关 Balanophora 属数据的材料包括在线资源，如 Web of Science、Google Scholar、Science Direct 和中国国家知识基础设施（CNKI），用于中文相关材料。World Flora online 用于验证该属的科学名称，而 ChemBio Draw Ultra Version 22.2 软件则用于绘制植物化学化合物。
有 9 种 Balanophora 物种，包括 B. harlandii、B. japonica、B. polyandra、B. fungosa、B. fungosa subsp. indica、B. laxiflora、B. abbreviata、B. tobiracola 和 B. involucrata，已被记录为亚洲不同地区传统药物的重要来源。从该属的 10 个物种中分离和鉴定了 159 种次生代谢产物，包括单宁、类黄酮、甾醇、木脂素、查尔酮、萜类和苯丙素。这些化合物中，单宁、木脂素、萜类、查尔酮和酚酸类化合物对该属物种的药理活性有贡献，具有多种体外和体内生物活性，如抗炎、抗氧化、降血糖活性、细胞毒性、抗菌、黑色素合成等。
本综述总结了有关 Balanophora 属物种的传统用途、药理特性和植物成分的现有文献，表明它们含有具有多种生物活性的迷人化学化合物。该属物种的传统用途已被科学数据证实，如抗菌、止血作用、胃保护活性等。然而，该属的许多物种在植物用途、化学成分和生物活性方面仍然知之甚少。因此，需要对其他 Balanophora 物种的传统药用用途与药理活性之间的科学联系、分离的生物活性成分的作用机制以及毒性进行更多的研究，以确定它们在安全临床应用中的疗效和治疗潜力。
