Medicinal & Aromatic Plants
Open Access
ISSN: 2167-0412
+44 1300 500008
ISSN: 2167-0412
+44 1300 500008
Special Issue Article - (2015) Volume 0, Issue 0
Albizia is a large genus that belongs to family Fabaceae; most of Albizia species are rich in triterpenoidal saponins. These species were used in folk medicine for the treatment of rheumatism, stomach ache, cough, diarrhea, wounds, and as an anthelmintic. Many pharmacological activities were reported for the fractions or extracts containing saponins. Also, various pharmacological activities were reported for the pure isolated saponins. This review focuses on the distribution of saponins among the different species of genus Albizia and their pharmacological activities.
Keywords: Albizia; Cytotoxicity; Echinocystic acid; Oleanolic acid
A549: Human Lung Epithelial cancer; A278: Human Ovarian Cancer; Bel-7402: Hepatocellular Carcinoma; BGC- 823: Human Gastric Cancer; B16-F10, SK-MEL-28: Melanoma Cells; HCT-8, HCT 116: Human Colon Cancer; HepG-2: Hepatocellular Carcinoma; HT-29: Human Colon Cancer; JMAR, MDA1986: Human Head and Neck Squamous Cells; KB: Oral carcinoma; MCF-7: Human Breast Adenocarcinoma
Albizia is a large genus belonging to the family Fabaceae, which comprises about 150 species that are widely distributed in in Africa and Central South America. Most of these plants are fast-growing subtropical and tropical trees and shrubs. Phytochemical investigation of different Albizia species revealed the presence of different classes of secondary metabolites, such as saponins, terpenes, alkaloids and flavonoids, but most of the phytochemical studies done on different Albizia species lead to the isolation of saponins. Saponins are secondary metabolites of a glycosidic nature that are widely distributed among plant kingdom. The aglycon part maybe a steroidal or triterpenoidal nucleus which is attached to one or more sugar residues in a straight chain or a branched form, most often composed of D-glucose, L-rhamnose, D-galactose, D-glucuronic acid, L-arabinose, D-xylose or D-fucose. Saponins have been used extensively in drug-related industry due to their pharmaceutical properties; which has driven the emergence of new extraction technologies with the main purpose of optimizing the yield in order to accommodate their need [1].
Pharmacological activities of extracts containing saponins from different Albizia species
Anti-inflammatory activity: The aqueous ethanolic extract of A. amara roots exhibited significant anti-inflammatory effect in rats at dose of 200 mg/kg administrated compared to the standard dose of aspirin (100 mg/kg). The anti-inflammatory effect was evaluated using carrageenan- induced paw oedema where the percentage inhibition of oedema was 61.91% [2].
The aqueous ethanolic extract of A. lebbeck bark showed significant anti-inflammatory effect at dose of 400 mg/kg administrated to rats compared to the standard dose of indomethacin (10 mg/kg).The antiinflammatory effect was evaluated using carrageenan, dextran, and cotton pellet- induced paw oedema where the percentage inhibition of oedema was 59.57%, 52.93%, and 53.57%, respectively [3].
Analgesic activity: The aqueous ethanolic extract of A. amara roots showed analgesic effect at dose of 200 mg/kg administrated to rats compared to the standard dose of aspirin (100 mg/kg). The analgesic effect was evaluated using hot plate method test [2].
The aqueous and ethanolic extracts of A. lebbeck leaves revealed analgesic effect at doses of 50, 100, and 200 mg/kg administrated to rats. The analgesic effect was evaluated using the hot plate test and tail flick method [4].
Nootropic and anxiolytic activity: The n-butanolic fraction of the methanolic extract of A. lebbeck leaves showed nootropic and anxiolytic activity at dose of 25 mg/kg administrated to albino mice. This effect was evaluated using the elevated plus maze test [5].
Anti-histaminic activity: The ethanolic extract of A. lebbeck stem bark inhibited histamine signaling in sensitized rats at a dose of 200 mg/ rat through suppression of H1 receptors and histidine decarboxylase genes (HDC) transcriptions [6].
Anti-microbial activity: The 70% aqueous ethanolic extract of A. ferruginea stem bark and leaves showed antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Candida albicans, Aspergillus niger, and Penicillium notatum. The anti-microbial activity was evaluated by calculating zone of inhibition were the leaves extract was more active and P. aeruginosa was resistant to both extracts [7].
Anti-spermatogenic activity: Oral administration of 50 mg/kg of a saponin-rich fraction obtained from the A. lebbeck stem bark for 60 days to male rats led to decrease in the weights of testes, epididymides, seminal vesicle and ventral prostate also the production of round spermatid was reduced by 73.04% [8]. Pharmacological activity wasn’t only evaluated on extracts containing saponins, but it was also evaluated on pure isolated saponins. Table 1 and Figures 1-7 shows the distribution of saponins among different Albizia species and their pharmacological activities.
| Species | Investigated Part(s) | Isolated saponins | Pharmacological activity | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A.adiantifolia | Root | Adianthifoliosides A [1 in Figure 1] Adianthifoliosides B [2 in Figure1] Adianthifoliosides D [3 in Figure1] | Compound [1 in Figure1]and compound [3 in Figure1]induced apoptosis in Jurkat cells at concentration of 5 µM and 1 µM, respectively. | Haddad et al.[15] |
| A. chinnensis | Stem bark | Albizoside D [4 in Figure1] Albizoside E [5 in Figure1] Julibroside J8 [6 in Figure1] | Compounds [4 in Figure1]and [5 in Figure1]showed cytotoxic activity on HCT-8, Bel-7402, BGC-823, A549, andA2780 cell lines. The IC50 values for compound [4 in Figure1]were: 7.7, 0.7, 0.08, 0.30 and 0.9 µM, on the five mentioned cell lines respectively. The IC50 values for compound [5 in Figure1]were: >10, 0.6, 0.03, 1.2, and 0.3 µM, respectively. | Liuet al. [20] |
| A. coriaria | Root | CoriariosideA[7 in Figure2] Coriarioside B [8 in Figure2] Gummiferasoide C [9 in Figure2] | Compound[7 in Figure2]and [9 in Figure2] showed cytotoxic activity on HCT 116 and HT-29 cell lines The IC50 values for compound [7 in Figure2]were 4.2 μM and 6.7 μM, respectively. The IC50values for compound [9 in Figure2]were: 2.7 μM and 7.9 μM, respectively. | Notéet al.[19] |
| A. gummifera | Stem bark | 3-O-{β-D-glucopyranosyl(1→2)-[α-L-arabinopyranosyl(1→ 6)]-β-D-glucopyranosyl}-oleanolic acid [10 in Figure3] β-D-glucopyranosyl(1→2)-β-D-glucopyranosyl 3-O-{β-D-glucopyranosyl(1→2)-[α-L-arabinopyranosyl(1→6)]-β-D-glucopyranosyl}-oleanolate[11 in Figure3] 3-O-{β-D-glucopyranosyl-(1→2)-[O-α-L-arabinopyranosyl(1→6)]β-D-glucopyranosyloxy}-machaerinic acid γ-lactone [12 in Figure3] 3-O-{β-D-glucopyranosiduronic acid (1→2)-β-D-glucopyranosyloxy}-machaerinic acid γ-lactone [13 in Figure3] | No reports were traced for the pharmacological activity. | Debellaet al.[14] |
| A.grandibracteata | Leaves | GrandibracteosidesA[14 in Figure4] GrandibracteosidesB[15 in Figure4] GrandibracteosidesC[16 in Figure4] | Compounds [14-16 in Figure4]showed cytotoxic activity on KB and MCF-7 tumor cell lines. The IC50 values for compound [14 in Figure4] were: 1.3 µM and 0.4 µM, respectively. The IC50 values for compound [15,16in Figure4] were: 2.3 µM and 1.7 µM, respectively. | Kriefet al. [21] |
| A. inundata | Aerial parts | 3-O-[α-L-arabinopyranosyl(1→6)]-2-acetamido-2-deoxy-β-D-glucopyranosyloleanolic acid [17 in Figure5] 3-O-[α-L-arabinopyranosyl(1→2)-α-L-arabinopyranosyl(1→6)]-2-acetamido-2-deoxy-β-D-glucopyranosyl acacic acid lactone [18 in Figure7] 3-O-[α-L-arabinopyranosyl(1→6)]-2-acetamido-2-deoxy-β-D-glucopyranosylechinocystic acid [19 in Figure6] 3-O-[β-D-xylopyranosyl (l→2)-α-L-arabinopyranosyl(l→6)]-2-acetamido-2-deoxy-β-D-glucopyranosyl acacic acid lactone (concinnoside D) [20 in Figure7] 3-O-[β-D-glucopyranosyl(l→2)]-β-D-glucopyranosyloleanolic acid [21 in Figure5] 3-O-[α-L-arabinopyranosyl(1→2)-α-L-arabinopyranosyl(l→6)]-β-D-glucopyranosyl oleanolic acid [22 in Figure5] 3-O-[β-D-xylopyranosyl(1→2)-α-L-arabinopyranosyl(l→6)]-β-D-glucopyranosyl oleanolic acid [23 in Figure5] 3-O-[α-L-arabinopyranosyl(l→2)-α-L-arabinopyranosyl(1→6)-[β-D-glucopyranosyl(l→2)]-β-D-glucopyranoside echinocystic acid [24 in Figure6] 3-O-[β-D-xylopyranosyl(l→2)-α-L-arabinopyranosyl(1→6)-[β-D-glucopyranosyl(l→2)]-β-D-glucopyranoside echinocystic acid [25 in Figure6] | Saponins [17,19,22 and 23]showed cytotoxic activity on JMAR, MDA1986 and B16-F10, SK-MEL-28 cell lines. The IC50values for compound [17 in Figure5]were: 4.7 µM, 8.7 µM, 7.3 µM, and 12.4 µM, respectively. The IC50values for compound [19 in Figure6]were: 5.1 µM, 2.8 µM, 1.8 µM, and 9.2 µM, respectively. The IC50 values for compound [22 in Figure5]were: 6.9 µM, 10.1 µM, 9.0 µM, and 8.6 µM, respectively. The IC50values for compound [23 in Figure5]were: 6.3 µM, 11.5 µM, 8.2 µM, and 8.1 µM, respectively. | Zhang et al.[16] |
| A.julibrissin | Stem bark | Julibroside J5 [26 in Figure1] Julibroside J8 [6 in Figure1] Julibroside J12 [27 in Figure1] Julibroside J13 [28] | The Inhibition (%) against Bel-7402 cell line for the compounds [6, 26-28 in Figure1]at a concentration of 100 µg/mL was 58.29, 86.66, 63.98, and 93.33, respectively. | [ Kun Zouet al. 2005] |
| A. mollis | Bark | MollisideA[29 in Figure7] MollisideB [30 in Figure7] ConcinnosideA[31 in Figure7] Albiziasaponin A [32 in Figure7] | No reports were traced for the pharmacological activities. | Cheng et al.[22] |
| A.procera | Bark | 3-O-[β-D-xylopyranosyl-(1→2)-α-L-arabinopyranosyl-(1→6)-2-acetamido-2-deoxy-β-D-glucopyranosyl] echinocystic acid [33 in Figure6] 3-O-[α-L-arabinopyranosyl-(1→2)-β-D-fucopyranosyl-(1→6)-2-acetamido-2-deoxy-β-D-glucopyranosyl] echinocystic acid (34 in Figure6) 3-O-[β-D-xylopyranosyl-(1→2)-α-L-arabinopyranosyl-(1→6)-2-acetamido-2-deoxy-β-D-glucopyranosyl] acacic acid lactone [20 in Figure7] | Compounds [33 in Figure6] and [20 in Figure7]showed cytotoxic activity on HepG2 cell line. The IC50 value for compound [33 in Figure6]was: 9.13 µg/mL. The IC50value for compound [20 in Figure7]was: 10 µg/mL. | Meleket al. [18] |
| A. subdimidiata | Whole plant | Albiziatrioside A[35 in Figure6] Albiziatrioside B[36 in Figure5] | Compounds [35 in Figure5]and [36 in Figure5]Showed cytotoxic activity on A2780 cell line with IC50 values of 0.9 µg/mL, and 0.8µg/mL, respectively. | Abdel-Kader et al.[13] |
Table 1: Distribution of saponins among Albizia species and their pharmacological activities.
Figure 1: Structures of the saponins isolated from genus Albizia.
Figure 2: Structures of the saponins isolated from genus Albizia.
Figure 3: Structures of the saponins isolated from genus Albizia.
Figure 4: Structures of the saponins isolated from genus Albizia.
Figure 5: Structures of the saponins isolated from genus Albizia.
Figure 6: Structures of the saponins isolated from genus Albizia
Figure 7: Structures of the saponins isolated from genus Albizia.
Plants of the genus Albizia have been used in the traditional medicine worldwide for the treatment of rheumatism, stomach ache,and cough, diarrhea, for wound- healing and as an anthelmintic. In traditional Indian and Chinese medicine, Albizia plants have been used to treat insomnia, irritability, wounds, tuberculosis, as anti-dysenteric and as antiseptic.
Literature revealed that Albizia is rich in triterpenoidal saponins in which the aglycon part may be oleanolic acid, echinocystic acid, acacic acid lactone or machaerinic acid γ-lactone while the sugar residue may be arabinose, xylose, rhamnose, fucose, glucose or 2-acetamido-2- deoxy glucose.
Most of these saponins have been reported to have cytotoxic activity on different cell lines, which highlights the importance of performing more in-depth studies in order to know the mechanism of the cytotoxic activity of these saponins and the structure activity relationship. Also, many extracts of different species of genus Albizia have been reported to have many pharmacological activities, such as antimicrobial activity of A. ferrugenia [9] and A.lebbeck [10], Antidiabetic activity of A.odoratissima [11], and anti-depressant activity of A. julibrissin [12].Therefore, further studies are required to determine whether these pharmacological activities are attributed to saponins or not [13-22].