Desmodium styracifolium: Botanical and ethnopharmacological insights, phytochemical investigations, and prospects in pharmacology and pharmacotherapy

Valentyna Opryshko; Anna Prokhach; Oleh Akimov; Mykola Riabushko; Heorhii Kostenko; Viktoriia Kostenko; Artur Mishchenko; Natalia Solovyova; Vitalii Kostenko

doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e25058

Desmodium styracifolium: Botanical and ethnopharmacological insights, phytochemical investigations, and prospects in pharmacology and pharmacotherapy

Heliyon. 2024 Jan 20;10(3):e25058. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e25058. eCollection 2024 Feb 15.

Authors

Valentyna Opryshko¹, Anna Prokhach², Oleh Akimov³, Mykola Riabushko⁴, Heorhii Kostenko³, Viktoriia Kostenko⁵, Artur Mishchenko³, Natalia Solovyova³, Vitalii Kostenko³

Affiliations

¹ Dnipro State Medical University, Department of General and Clinical Pharmacy, Dnipro, Ukraine.
² Dnipro State Medical University, Department of Oncology and Medical Radiology, Dnipro, Ukraine.
³ Poltava State Medical University, Department of Pathophysiology, Poltava, Ukraine.
⁴ Poltava State Medical University, Department of Pharmacology, Clinical Pharmacology and Pharmacy, Poltava, Ukraine.
⁵ Poltava State Medical University, Department of Foreign Languages with Latin and Medical Terminology, Poltava, Ukraine.

Abstract

The purpose of this inquiry is to provide a conprehensive summary and analysis of the literature concerning the pharmacological properties of components that can be extracted from Desmodium styracifolium, a preparation in Chinese medicine. This study also aims to explore their potential application in elaborating medicinal products for the effective prevention and treatment of such conditions as urolithiasis, cholelithiasis, type 2 diabetes mellitus, metabolic syndrome, pro-oxidant and inflammatory processes, etc. Several experimental studies confirmed the potential of D. styracifolium to influence mineral metabolism, to decrease the concentration of constituents involved in the formation of urinary calculi, and to reduce mineral encrustation in the urinary tract, as well as to alleviate the damage caused by crystal structures. This beneficial impact is achieved through a combination of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory actions, along with urine alkalinization. The cholelitholytic, choleretic, and hepatoprotective effects of D. styracifolium plants have been confirmed, primarily ascribed to the activation of the hepatic Xα receptor and the bile acid receptor, farnesoid X receptor, by the flavonoid shaftoside. Special attention is focused on the potential therapeutic applications of flavonoids derived from D. styracifolium for diseases associated with the development of chronic inflammation and systemic response, emphasizing the ability of flavonoids to exert antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects by acting directly and through the modulation of transcription factors. It is concluded that new strategies for the prevention and treatment of urolithiasis, cholelithiasis, type 2 diabetes mellitus, metabolic syndrome, acute and chronic inflammatory processes may rely on the promising development of dosage forms of D. styracifolium with their subsequent preclinical and clinical trials.

Keywords: Anti-inflammatory and antidiabetic effects; Antioxidant; Antiurolithic; Cholagogic; Cholelytic; Desmodium styracifolium; Ethnopharmacology; Hepatoprotective; Nephroprotective.

Publication types

Review