Ferula sinkiangensis (Chou-AWei, Chinese Ferula): Traditional Uses, Phytoconstituents, Biosynthesis, and Pharmacological Activities

Abstract

Ferula is the third largest genus of the Apiaceae family, its species are utilized as a remedy for diverse ailments all over the world. F. sinkiangensis K. M. Shen (Chou-AWei, Chinese Ferula) is mainly found in Xin-jiang Uygur Autonomous Region, China. Traditionally, it is utilized for treating various illnesses such as digestive disorders, rheumatoid arthritis, wound infection, baldness, bronchitis, ovarian cysts, intestinal worms, diarrhea, malaria, abdominal mass, cold, measles, and bronchitis. It can produce different classes of metabolites such as sesquiterpene coumarins, steroidal esters, lignans, phenylpropanoids, sesquiterpenes, monoterpenes, coumarins, organic acid glycosides, and sulfur-containing compounds with prominent bioactivities. The objective of this work is to point out the reported data on F. sinkiangensis, including traditional uses, phytoconstituents, biosynthesis, and bioactivities. In the current work, 194 metabolites were reported from F. sinkiangensis in the period from 1987 to the end of 2022. Nevertheless, future work should be directed to conduct in vivo, mechanistic, and clinical assessments of this plant`s metabolites to confirm its safe usage.

Molecular Docking and Molecular Dynamics Studies Reveal the Anticancer Potential of Medicinal-Plant-Derived Lignans as MDM2-P53 Interaction Inhibitors

“…A group of lignans consisting of 120 structures was collected from a previous publication [ 30 , 31 ] and also subjected to energy minimization using the OPLS4 force field, utilizing the MacroModel tool in Maestro [ 60 ] with the PRCG (Polac–Ribiere conjugate gradient) method (2500 iterations). For upcoming studies, the conformation with the lowest energy for each compound was chosen.…”

“…Therefore, various studies explored the biological potential and possible action mechanisms by which lignans exert their anticancer effectiveness. In this regard, the reported lignans from Ferula sinkiangensis and Justicia procumbens [ 30 , 31 ] ( Supplementary Table S1 ) were assessed as valuable sources for the development of novel anticancer therapeutics [ 32 ].…”

“…J. procumbens is employed for cancer, lumbar pain, fever, chronic glomerulonephritis, venereal and skin diseases, aphthous ulcer, sore throat, diabetes, headache, arthritis, inflammation, and gastrointestinal disorders, as well as to promote digestion, urination, and blood circulation and relieve dyspepsia [ 31 , 33 , 34 ]. In contrast, F. sinkiangensis is often utilized for indigestion, lumps, joint pain, baldness, bronchitis, wound infection, ovarian cysts, parasite-caused malnutrition, stomachic and abdominal swelling pain, malaria, diarrhea, abdominal mass, cold, dysentery, and measles [ 30 , 35 ].…”

α-Glucosidase Inhibitory Phytochemical Components of Chinese Endemic Plant Whitfordiodendron filipes var. tomentosum

“…Gambogic acid, one of the active components of resin, was approved for clinical trials as a class 1 new drug in 2004 by the Chinese Food and Drug Administration [ 1 ]. Continuous investigations revealed that many plants can produce a diverse array of bioactive compounds, some of which are also used as drugs, such as paclitaxel, morphine, ephedrine, and ferulic acid [ 4 , 5 , 6 ]. Inspired by these exciting works, more and more natural product researchers [ 7 ] and synthetic chemists [ 8 ] have shown great interest in this field.…”

Quality evaluation of four Ferula plants and identification of their key volatiles based on non-targeted metabolomics

“…Ferula , the third largest genus in the family Apiaceae, is distributed worldwide, particularly in Asia ( Khayat et al., 2023 ) ( Supplementary Figure 1 ). Ferula is a perennial herb that bears one or more fruits.…”