Pharmacology of Alangium Sp.

Papiya Bigoniya^*, Alok Shukla and C.S. Singh

Radharaman College of Pharmacy, Fatehpur Dopra, Ratibad,

Bhopal – 462 002, M.P., India

ABSTRACT

Alangium is a deciduous rambling shrub or small tree, distributed over the plains and foothills throughout the India. The root, root-bark, leaves, fruits and seeds of this genus have been used in indigenous Indian systems of medicine for a long time. The root is laxative and anthelmintic. The root bark is bitter purgative, anthelmintic, astringent, pungent, having emetic property, useful in fever and skin diseases and also prescribed for biliousness and colic. The leaves are used as poultice in rheumatic pains. The fruits are astringents and are reputed in the indigenous system of medicine for laxative, tonic and refrigerant properties and are useful in emaciation and haemorrhages. The seeds are reputed for their cooling and tonic property and also used in treatment of haemorrhage. The plant is used as an antidote to snake poison. The bark is used as an antipyretic, in insanity, epilepsy, jaundice, hepatitis and asthma.

An alkaloid deoxytubulosine was isolated from the flowers, which reportedly showed a strong binding with DNA.The fruits were found to contain alkaloids like-cephaeline, N-methylcephaeline (alamarckine), deoxytubulosine alangiside and sterol. The seeds were reported to contain several alkaloids having various structural skeletons including benzopyridoquinolozine skeleton. These were characterized as alamarckine, emetin, cephaeline and psychotrin, alangamide, venoterpine, salsoline, isocephaeline, alangimarine, alamarine, alangimaridine and alamaridine. The seeds were reported to contain betulinic acid considered to be sterol named alangol or alengol. The leaves are reported to contain saponins, alkaloids, sterol and terpenoids.

Keywords:Alangiaceae, Alangium, Alanine, Antimicrobial, Cytotoxicity, Deoxytubulosine.

Introduction

Plant and plant products are being used as a source of medicine since long. According to World Health Organization (WHO) more than 80 per cent of the world’s population, mostly in a poor and developing countries depend on traditional plant-based medicines for their primary healthcare needs (WHO, 1993). Medicinal plants are the nature’s gift to human being to make disease free healthy life. It plays a vital role to preserve our health. India is one of the most medico-culturally diverse countries in the world where the medicinal plant sector is part of a time-honored tradition that is respected even today. The utility of plants as therapeutic agents in traditional medicine system is still prevalent today. For example, the middle eastern civilization developed the Greco-Arabic system of medicine (Unani system of medicine), which is practiced in Indian sub continent. Similarly, the Chinese race developed the Chinese system of medicine largely based on it unique system of theories including the concept of Yen and Yang; the idea of Wv, Xing (the five elements), the theory of influence imparted from nature. The Ayurveda and Sidha system of medicines were contributed by Indians. All these systems procure more than 80 per cent of their medicaments from plants (Gupta et al., 2007). The earliest mention use of the plants in medicine is found in the Rig-Veda, which was written between 4500 and 1600 BC. During British period due to Western culture our traditional art of natural healing has nearly disappeared. Now it is reappearing due to realization of its importance in curing diseases with very few side effects. Owing to the global trend towards improved ’quality of life’, there is considerable evidence of an increase in demand for medicinal plant (Kotnis, 2004). Medicinal plants, which form the backbone of traditional medicine, have been subjected for very intense pharmacological studies in the last few decades. This has been brought about by the acknowledgement of the value of medicinal plants as potential sources of new compounds of therapeutic value and as sources of lead compounds in the drug development. There arises a need therefore to screen medicinal plants for bioactive compounds as a basis for further pharmacological studies. Plants are considered to be promising source of medicine in the traditional health care system. The efficacy and safety of herbal medicine have turned the major pharmaceutical population towards medicinal plant’s research.

Alangium Genus

Alangium is a genus of shrubs or small trees. The leaves of this genus are alternate, petiolate, oblong, quite entire, 3-nerved from the base, persistant where as the flowers are white subsilky, hermaphrodite, in axillary fascicles, embracteate, shortly pedicelled and articulated with the pedicelled. Calyx-tube turbinate, often sulcate, larege limb, 5-10 toothed or truncate. Petals are 5-10 in number, linear–oblong, revolute and valvate. Stamens are usually 2-4 times as many as petals, filaments are filiform or flattened with more or less villous along with long anthers. Cushioned-shaped disk having depression in centre, lobed or crenulate. Ovary is 1-celled, ovule solitary in each cell, pendulous, style narrowly clavate or filiform, stigma clavate or capitate, many lobed and the lobes are conduplicate. Berry crowned with the calyx–limb. Seeds are oblong, with thin testa, albumen usuallly fleshy, foliaceousm cotyledons and elongate, cylindric, thick radicle (Kirtikar and Basu, 2006).

Alangium alpinum (C.B.Clarke) W.W.Sm. and Cave

Alangium barbatum (R. Br.) Baill.

Alangium chinense (Lour.) Harms

Alangium faberi Oliv.

Alangium grisolleoides Capuron

Alangium javanicum (Blume) Wangerin

Alangium kurzii Craib

Alangium kwangsiense Melch.

Alangium longiflorum Merr.

Alangium platanifolium (Siebold and Zucc.) Harms

Alangium salviifolium (L.f.) Wangerin

Alangium villosum (Blume) Wangerin

Alangium vitiense (A.Gray) Baill. ex Harms

Alangium salviifolium (Linn.f.) Wang

Alangiaceae includes 1 genera and approximately 17 species. Plants of Alangiaceae family are tropical and subtropical trees or shrubs and sometimes spiny. Leaves are alternate, simple. Flowers are hermaphrodite, in axillary cymes with articulated pedicles. Calyx having 4-10 teeths which are turncate. Petals are mostly linear, valvate, 4-10 in number and sometimes coherent at base. Stamens the same number as and alternate with the petals or 2-4 times as many, free or slightly connate at the base, more or less villous inside, 2 celled anthers, linear and lengthwise opening. Disk is cushion like with inferior ovary, 1-2 celled, simple style, clavate or 2-3 lobed, ovule solitary, pendulus with 2 integuments. Fruit is a drupe crowened by the sepals and 1–seeded. Seeds with the embryo are near about equal to the endosperm (Kirtikar and Basu, 2006).

Synonym(S)

Alangium lamarckii Thw., Grewia salvifolium Linn.f.

Vernacular Name

Alangium salviifolium is commonly called akhaul, akol akola, anedhera, dhera in hindi; ankola, ankota, bodha, dirghakilaka, ghalanta, kankarola, lambakarna in sanskrit; akarkanta, angkula, ankoda, dhalakura in Bengali; ankol, ankoli, ankul in Marathi; adigolam, alangi, alinjil, eralingil in Tamil; ankola in Urdu; ankulo, baghonokhiya in Uriya and mulanninchil in ceylon (Kirtikar and Basu, 2006).

Geographical Distribution

Alangium salviifolium is a shrub or small tree distributed over the plains, foothills throughout the greater part of India, Sri Lanka, China, Malaya and Phillipines. It is also abundant in tropical and subtropical regions from Africa east to Australia and Fiji.

Taxonomical Classification

Botanical Description

A small thorny decuduous tree/shrub with more less spinescent branches which grows up to height of 5-10 meters. Bark light coloured and young parts pubescent. Leaves variable 7.5-12.5 by 2.5-5.7 cm narrowly oblong or ovate–lanceolate, more or less acuminate, subobtuse, entire, glabrous above, pubescent on the nerves and prominently reticulately veined beneath, base rounded or acute, petioles 6-13 mm long, densely pubescent. Flowers few, in axillary fascicles, pedicles 3-6 mm long, densely pubescent, jointed at the top. Calyx turbinate 3 mm long, densely silky pubescent, teeth triangular, 0.85 mm long. Petals 5-10 (usually 6), densely pubescent outside, 1.3-2 cm long and about 5 mm wide, narrowly linear, reflected. Stamens numerous (more than 20), nearly as long as petals, filaments hairy at base. Style as long as the stamens, stigma very large. Fruit when young ovoid or ellipsoid, becoming nearly globular when ripe 1.3-2 cm diameter. Crowned by the persistant calix limb, finely pubescent, not or obscurely ribbed, purplish red, endocarp bony, albumen freshly outside, friable inside, not at all ruminate, cotyledons foliaceous, flat not crumpled (Kirtikar and Basu, 2006).

Ethnopharmacological Uses

The root is acrid, bitter, slightly pungent, oily, sharp, heating, anthelmintic, alterative, cures erysipelas, biliousness, inflammations, snake-bites and fish-poison. The juice is emetic, alexipharmic, cures kapha, vata, pain, inflammations, biliousness, diseases of blood, rat–bite, hydrophobia, lumbago, dysentery, diarrhoea, anthelmintic. The seeds have taste and flavour, cooling, aphrodisiac, indigestible, tonic, laxative, cure burning sensations. Consumption of seed causes biliousness, erysipelas, kaph and loss of appetite.

The root bark is used in piles. The stem is good in vomiting and diarrhoea. The fruit is sweet, laxative, expectorant, anthelmintic, alexiteric useful in inflammation, diseases of the blood and burning of the body. In native practice, the root-bark is used as anthelmintic and purgative. In Bombay, the leaves are used as a poultice to relieve rheumatic pains.

It has proved itself an efficient and safe emetic in doses of fifty grains; in smaller doses it is nauseant and febrifuge. The bark is very bitter and its repute in skin diseases is not without foundation. It is a good substitute for Ipecacuanha and proves useful in relieving pyrexia. Doses as a nauseant, diuretic and febrifuge: 6-10 grains of root bark; as an alternative: 2-5 grains. It is given in leprosy and syphilis. The natives consider it to be alexiteric, especially in cases of bites from rabid animals.

The Mundas of Chota Nagpur use the root as a purgative in dyspepsia and in gout. In the Salem district, 40 grains of powered bark is made into a bolus and given in cases of cobra poisoning. Both the bark and the root are prescribed as antidotes to snake-venom (Charaka, Sharangdharasambhita, Bhavaprakasha). The root and the bark are equally useless in the symptomatic treatment of snake bite (Kirtikar and Basu, 2006; Nadkarni, 2002).

Phytochemistry

The root bark was reported to yield ceryl alcohol and a light brown wax. The wax was found to be composed of non-saponifiable matter, myristic, palmitic, oleic, linoleic acids and resin acids. Myricyl alcohol, stigmasterol and β-sitosterol were also detected. The investigation of root bark were showed presence of different alkaloids identified as alangine (mp 80-82º), alangine (mp 205-208º), alangine A, alangine B, alanginine, akharkantine, ankoline, lamarkine along with five alkaloids bases designated as B1 to B5 (Chopra and Chauhan, 1934; Basu et al., 1950; Basu and Gode, 1957). The structure of alangine A was established as 3-anisyl-2-piperidyl-n-propanol (Bhakuni et al., 1960). Alkaloids marckine, marckidine, tubulosine (mp 257º), cephaeline (mp 102º), psychotrine and alangicine were isolated from root bark (Pakrashi and Ali, 1967). From root and stem bark emetine, cephaeline, psychotrine (mp121º), N-methylcephaeline and deoxytubulosine were isolated (Budzikiewicz et al., 1964; Pakrashi, 1966). The root also contained alkaloids tubulosine and isotubulosine (Desai et al., 1966; Shoeb et al., 1975).

The stem bark was reported to contain lamarckinine (mp 265º). A new alkaloid demethylcephaeline–along with cephaeline, psychotrine, tubulosine and demethylpsychotrine were isolated from stem bark (Achari and Pakrashi, 1970). New benzoquinolizidine alkaloid–alancine and isoalamarine were also isolated and characterized from stem bark (Chattopadhyay et al., 1984; Pakrashi et al., 1980). The total non alkaloidal extract of the stem bark contained β-sitosterol, stigmasterol and a viscous oil.

In a preliminary study the leaves revealed presence of alkaloids and saponins on the other hand absence of tannins (Joshi and Sabnis, 1989). The leaves were found to contain a new phenolic alkaloid ankorine (mp 174º), campesterol, episterol and two unidentified triterpenoids (Dasgupta and Sharma, 1966). Presence of deoxytubulosine, alangimarckine (mp 184º) and choline chloride were reported by Dasgupta, (1965, 1966). A new sterol stigmasta-5, 22, 25-trien-3β-ol and a monoterpenoid lactum–alangiside was isolated and structure elucidated by Kapil et al. (1971) and Shoeb et al. (1975). Achari et al. (1974) reported isolation of N-benzoyl-L-phenylalaninol (mp 169º). Structures of new D, E-cis fused neohopane derivatives–alangidiol and isoalangidiol were established and isolated from leaves (Achari et al.,

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