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A comprehensive review of the Desmodium genus: An innovative exploration of its phytopharmacological characteristics, hepatoprotective capabilities, underlying mechanisms of action and possible applications

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Abstract

Liver disease is a significant global health concern, leading to around two million fatalities annually. This disorder encompasses a broad range of causes, including both well-established factors such as lifestyle choices, as well as less understood origins such as pre-existing medical diseases. In the present scenario, liver cancer poses a significant worldwide health concern, with projections indicating that the number of cases is expected to exceed one million by the year 2025. According to the World Health Organization, numerous developing nations, such as India, continue to rely on the utilization of plants and plant-derived substances for the treatment of diverse ailments. Desmodium Desv., a genus within the Fabaceae family, encompasses about 350 species that are primarily found in tropical and subtropical regions worldwide. These plants have a long-standing history of traditional medicinal use in India, Thailand, and China, particularly for the treatment of liver diseases. The objective of this review is to provide a comprehensive overview of the ethnobotanical applications, phytoconstituents, and hepatoprotective properties associated with all species of Desmodium. The research employed various methodologies. Data on the Desmodium genus was collected up until the year 2022 through the examination of research articles, patents, and diverse online bibliographic databases such as PubMed, Research Gate, PubChem, Science Direct, Scopus, Wiley Online Library, Web of Science, eOL, POWO, and IUCN. The online search was conducted using the following keywords: Desmodium species, review articles, ethnobotanical uses, phytochemical constituents, and hepatoprotective property. In conclusion, it can be inferred that Ethnobotanical research has revealed that these particular species possess diverse pharmacological attributes, including anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, cytotoxic, and hepatoprotective activities. The analysis of phytochemistry reveals the presence of various compounds such as flavonoids, alkaloids, terpenoids, steroids, phenols, and other constituents inside these species. Out of a total of 350 species, it has been observed that 18 possess hepatoprotective properties. In order to substantiate the hepatoprotective applications and advance the development of prominent pharmaceuticals, additional pharmacological investigations including animal models and phytochemical explorations are necessary.

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Availability of data and materials

The authors confirm that the data supporting the findings of this review are available within the articles and its supplementary material. Raw data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author, upon reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

The authors duly acknowledge funding agencies DST-PURSE, India for providing all the instrumentation facilities for carrying out the research work in the Dept. of Botany, Bharathiar University, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India.

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  1. Department of Botany, Bharathiar University, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, 641046, India

    Anju Rani George, Aarthi Jeganathan, Anju Byju, Sradha Sajeev, Kavimani Thangasamy & Geetha Natesan

  2. Department of Zoology, Bharathiar University, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, 641046, India

    Paulpandi Manickam

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ARG: Conceptualization ideas, methodology, formal analysis, data curation, methodology, framing out the draft, Writing—original review draft and editing; AJ, AB: Conceptualization, formal analysis. SS, KT: Software, data analysis. MP: framing out the draft, validation; GN: conceptualization, formal analysis, supervision, project administration, validation.

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Correspondence to Geetha Natesan.

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George, A.R., Jeganathan, A., Byju, A. et al. A comprehensive review of the Desmodium genus: An innovative exploration of its phytopharmacological characteristics, hepatoprotective capabilities, underlying mechanisms of action and possible applications. Phytochem Rev (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11101-024-09963-7

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