A Review of the Ethnomedicinal Uses, Biological Activities, and Triterpenoids of Euphorbia Species

Abstract

The genus Euphorbia is one of the largest genera in the spurge family, with diversity in range, distribution, and morphology. The plant species in this genus are widely used in traditional medicine for the treatment of diseases, ranging from respirational infections, body and skin irritations, digestion complaints, inflammatory infections, body pain, microbial illness, snake or scorpion bites, pregnancy, as well as sensory disorders. Their successes have been attributed to the presence of diverse phytochemicals like polycyclic and macrocyclic diterpenes with various pharmacological properties. As a result, Euphorbia diterpenes are of interest to chemists and biochemists with regard to drug discovery from natural products due to their diverse therapeutic applications as well as their great structural diversity. Other chemical constituents such as triterpenoids have also been reported to possess various pharmacological properties, thus supporting the traditional uses of the Euphorbia species. These triterpenoids can provide potential leads that can be developed into pharmaceutical compounds for a wide range of medicinal applications. However, there are scattered scientific reports about the anticancer activities of these constituents. Harnessing such information could provide a database of bioactive pharmacopeia or targeted scaffolds for drug discovery. Therefore, this review presents an updated and comprehensive summary of the ethnomedicinal uses, phytochemistry, and the anticancer activities of the triterpenoids of Euphorbia species. Most of the reported triterpenoids in this review belong to tirucallane, cycloartanes, lupane, oleanane, ursane, and taraxane subclass. Their anticancer activities varied distinctly with the majority of them exhibiting significant cytotoxic and anticancer activities in vitro. It is, therefore, envisaged that the report on Euphorbia triterpenoids with interesting anticancer activities will form a database of potential leads or scaffolds that could be advanced into the clinical trials with regard to drug discovery.

In Vitro Modulation of P-Glycoprotein Activity by Euphorbia intisy Essential Oil on Acute Myeloid Leukemia Cell Line HL-60R

“…Some terpenoids can inhibit P-gp activity via binding with its active sites [ 53 , 54 , 55 ]. It is interesting to note that in a recent review Kemboi et al [ 17 ] described the effects of terpenoids from some Euphorbia species like a possible multi-drug resistance reverting agents in comparison to verapamil.…”

“…However, species with succulent traits are mostly found in arid areas and represented in subgenera Athymalus and Euphorbia [ 16 ]. Euphorbia species have a large spectrum of traditional medicinal uses [ 17 ] ranging from digestive system disorders, skin aliments, infections/infestations, injuries/inflammations and respiratory complaints; some species are cited as vertebrate poisons [ 18 ]. These knowledges are supported by a broad range of biological properties and potential usages in derived natural products [ 19 , 20 , 21 ].…”

Flavonoids from the Genus Euphorbia: Isolation, Structure, Pharmacological Activities and Structure–Activity Relationships

“…Flavonoids are among the dominant constituents of Euphorbia species after macrocyclic diterpenes and triterpenoids [ 4 , 10 ]. Flavonoids mainly occur as isoflavonoids (3-phenylbenzopyrans), neoflavonoids (4-phenylbenzopyrans), chalcones [ 7 , 11 ], flavonols, flavanone, flavanonol, flavanol and anthocyanidins [ 11 ].…”

“…However, even though other reports have reviewed the phytochemical constituents of Euphorbia species, most of the published reviews have exclusively focused on ethnomedicinal uses [ 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ], isolated diterpenes [ 10 ], essential oils and triterpenoids [ 4 ]. For example, Goel et al [ 37 ] reviewed the structural diversity of phorbol esters while Shi et al [ 38 ] reported the pharmacological activities and chemical constituents of Euphorbia species.…”

“…For example, Goel et al [ 37 ] reviewed the structural diversity of phorbol esters while Shi et al [ 38 ] reported the pharmacological activities and chemical constituents of Euphorbia species. In addition, Andrea and co-authors reviewed the structural diversity of Euphorbia diterpenes covering the period 2008–2012, and their pharmacological activities [ 10 ], while Kemboi et al [ 4 ] reported the ethnomedicinal uses and the structural diversity of Euphorbia triterpenoids. Rojas et al [ 39 ] reviewed the phytochemical and functional properties of E .…”