Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of bioactive compounds from Crescentia cujete L. leaves and fruit–A review

Abstract

Crescentia cujete is one of the plants considered to have medicinal properties and is commonly used for ethnomedical purposes for its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Despite the plant’s common indigenous uses, a couple of isolation and characterization studies were done and published in the past listing both identified and unidentified compounds found from the plant. However, the number of studies focusing on its pharmacological activities, specifically the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of the bioactive compounds present in the plant along with their mechanism of action is underwhelming and the plant is far from being fully optimized for drug development and pharmacological advancement. Data and information collated for this review were gathered from publications, books, and articles from trusted scientific journals. In this review, available studies focusing on the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of various extracts from C. cujete were collated and established. The most commonly studied part of the plant as well as the grey areas realized from this review regarding the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of the plant consequently suggests the incorporation of in silico studies to help future researchers understand the mechanism of action of the plant’s bioactive compounds that have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities which will ensure the continuous and fast-moving advances in the drug-development and pharmacological advancement of C. cujete extracts.