Medicinal Properties of Ant Nest Plant (Myrmecodia Genus): A Comprehensive Review

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The Myrmecodia genus belongs to the Rubiaceae family, which has the characteristic of an epiphytic plant. This genus spread from Malaysia, through the Philippines, Sumatra, Borneo, Java, New Guinea (Papua), Cape York to the Solomon Islands and Pacific region. It has been empirically proven to treat gout, inflammation, muscle pain relief, strengthen the body’s immunity, and cancer treatment. AIM: This article reviewed the scientific work about the Myrmecodia genus concerning their traditional uses, phytochemical compounds, and pharmacological activities of Myrmecodia. METHODS: The sources were from the scientific literature online database, including Science Direct, PubMed, and Google Scholar between 1978 and 2021. Furthermore, 112 articles were collected, while 61 full-text were assessed for eligibility. RESULTS: The Myrmecodia extract has many pharmacological activities, namely antioxidant, antibacterial, cytotoxic, and anticancer. CONCLUSION: Moreover, this review may be used as scientific literature for the next investigations on the genus Myrmecodia, especially regarding pharmacological properties such as in vitro and in vivo studies and isolation of the active compounds.

Antibacterial Potential of Sarang Semut Herbal Extract (Myrmecodia pendans) from Timor Against Staphylococcus aureus: An In Vitro Study

“…Every tissue and organ of the body can be infected by these bacteria and cause disease with characteristic signs of inflammation, necrosis, and abscess formation (AlSheikh et al, 2020). Staphylococcus aureus is one of the pathogens that cause gastrointestinal infections by producing toxins that result in fluid secretion and interfere with cell function or nerve function (Dirgantara, Insanu, & Fidrianny, 2022).…”

“…In addition, Staphylococcus aureus can carry genes resistant to tetracycline, erythromycin, aminoglycosides, and methylene, resulting in new strains. New strains, including Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), produce beta-lactamase, so these bacteria have different sensitivities to different antimicrobial drugs (Dirgantara, Insanu, & Fidrianny, 2022;Khairiah et al, 2019).…”

“…Study results show that aspects of therapy with antibiotics available are limited and less reliable, so it is necessary to research the effects of medicinal plants as an alternative (AlSheikh et al, 2020). Plants that contain several active compounds, including tannins, essential oils, phenols, alkaloids, flavonoids, and others, are proven to inhibit bacterial growth or, at specific concentrations, can kill gram-positive and harmful bacteria (Dirgantara et al, 2022).…”

“…The results of other experiments showed that anthills (Myrmecodia pendants) as a food additive also produced a high antioxidant potential of 85.90%, even offered to have antibacterial activity against five types of bacteria (Escherichia coli ATCC 25922, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 6538, Streptococcus mutans ATCC 25175, Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 9027, Salmonella typhimurium ATCC 14028) with an inhibitory zone of 10-13.5 mm (Khairiah et al, 2019). Anthill plant extracts have been widely studied for pharmacological activities such as antioxidants, cytotoxic, and anti-cancer (Dirgantara et al, 2022).…”

Synthesis and Structural Characterization of Four Different Concentrations of Ant Nest (Myrmecodia pendens) Collagen Membranes with Potential for Medical Applications

“…The genus Myrmecodia belongs to the Rubiaceae family, which is characterized as an epiphytic plant. 10 The genus spreads from Malaysia, through the Philippines, Sumatra, Kalimantan, Java, Papua, New Guinea, Cape York to the Solomon Islands and the Pacific region. 10 It has been empirically proven to treat gout, inflammation, muscle pain relief, immune strengthening, and cancer treatment.…”