Ginkgols and bilobols in Ginkgo biloba L. A review of their extraction and bioactivities

Abstract

Ginkgo biloba (GB) has enormous bioactives with anti‐bacterial, anti‐oxidant, anti‐cancer, and immune‐stimulating properties, with global sales exceeding $10 billion. The terpene trilactones (ginkgolides A, B, and C) and flavonoids (mostly quercetin, isorhamnetin, and kaempferol) have received the most significant focus in GB research to date, whereas other bioactive compounds such as ginkgols and bilobols with various bioactivities such as anti‐viral, anti‐oxidant, and anti‐tumor actions have received less attention. Therefore, for the first time, this review focused on GB ginkgols, bilobols extraction, and bioactivities. This review showed that petroleum ether and acetone extraction had successfully extracted ginkgols and bilobols. Furthermore, bioactivities such as anti‐tumor activity and so on have been demonstrated for ginkgols, and bilobols, providing theoretical justification for ginkgols and bilobol as raw material for nutraceuticals, functional foods, pharmaceuticals, and cosmeceuticals. Future research could look into other biological applications (such as anti‐oxidant, antitoxins, anti‐radiation, anti‐microbial, and antiparasite) and their applications in the pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and nutraceutical industries. Besides, the primary research should be on developing green and effective methods for preparing ginkgols and bilobols and fully utilizing their pharmacological activity. This will also provide a new avenue for efficiently utilizing these bioactive compounds.

Functions of Representative Terpenoids and Their Biosynthesis Mechanisms in Medicinal Plants

“…Paclitaxel plays a significant role in anti-tumor therapy by inducing oxidative stress, and is considered one of the most successful natural anti-cancer drugs available [21]. Furthermore, terpenoids have been found to have additional biological functions, such as anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory effects [22,23].…”

Development, Validation, and Application of High-Performance Liquid Chromatography with Diode-Array Detection Method for Simultaneous Determination of Ginkgolic Acids and Ginkgols in Ginkgo biloba

“…Furthermore, there is no Nonetheless, due to gingkolic acids (Figure 1C) being cytotoxic, genotoxic, mutagenic, neurotoxic, and allergenic, EGb utilization has been limited, as the United States, Chinese, and European Pharmacopoeias, in 2020, authorized that the concentration of gingkolic acids (GAs) in the GBE should be <5 µg/g [4,7,9]. According to our previous study [2], upon heating, GA undergoes decarboxylation, resulting in the formation of ginkgols (3-alkylphenols), which exhibit several pharmacological properties, including antibacterial, antioxidant, and anti-apoptotic actions [10]. These effects have been seen in vitro on tumor cells [3].…”