Mining Therapeutic Efficacy from Treasure Chest of Biodiversity and Chemodiversity: Pharmacophylogeny of Ranunculales Medicinal Plants
Authors
Da-cheng Hao
Biotechnology Institute, School of Environment and Chemical Engineering, Dalian Jiaotong University, Dalian, 116028 China
Li-jia Xu
Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, 100193 China
Yu-wei Zheng
Biotechnology Institute, School of Environment and Chemical Engineering, Dalian Jiaotong University, Dalian, 116028 China
Huai-yu Lyu
Biotechnology Institute, School of Environment and Chemical Engineering, Dalian Jiaotong University, Dalian, 116028 China
Pei-gen Xiao
Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, 100193 China
Keywords:
Ranunculales, chemical constituent, bioactivity, diversity, pharmacophylogeny
Abstract
Ranunculales, comprising of 7 families that are rich in medicinal species frequently utilized by traditional medicine and ethnomedicine, represents a treasure chest of biodiversity and chemodiversity. The phylogenetically related species often have similar chemical profile, which makes them often possess similar therapeutic spectrum. This has been validated by both ethnomedicinal experiences and pharmacological investigations. This paper summarizes molecular phylogeny, chemical constituents, and therapeutic applications of Ranunculales, i.e., a pharmacophylogeny study of this representative medicinal order. The phytochemistry/metabolome, ethnomedicine and bioactivity/pharmacology data are incorporated within the phylogenetic framework of Ranunculales. The most studied compounds of this order include benzylisoquinoline alkaloid, flavonoid, terpenoid, saponin and lignan, etc. Bisbenzylisoquinoline alkaloids are especially abundant in Berberidaceae and Menispermaceae. The most frequent ethnomedicinal uses are arthritis, heat-clearing and detoxification, carbuncle-abscess and sore-toxin. The most studied bioactivities are anticancer/cytotoxic, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory activities, etc. The pharmacophylogeny analysis, integrated with both traditional and modern medicinal uses, agrees with the molecular phylogeny based on chloroplast and nuclear DNA sequences, in which Ranunculales is divided into Ranunculaceae, Berberidaceae, Menispermaceae, Lardizabalaceae, Circaeasteraceae, Papaveraceae, and Eupteleaceae families. Chemical constituents and therapeutic efficacy of each taxonomic group are reviewed and the underlying connection between phylogeny, chemodiversity and clinical uses is revealed, which facilitate the conservation and sustainable utilization of Ranunculales pharmaceutical resources, as well as developing novel plant-based pharmacotherapy.
Electronic Supplementary Material
Supplementary material (Appendixes 1–9) is available in the online version of this article at 10.1007/s11655-022-3576-x.
Keywords: Ranunculales, chemical constituent, bioactivity, diversity, pharmacophylogeny
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