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Phytochemistry, Pharmacology, and Applications of Ocimum sanctum (Tulsi)

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Edible Plants in Health and Diseases

Abstract

Ocimum sanctum, an aromatic and medicinal herb, has gained a special importance for its pharmacological potential since time immemorial. The meaning of tulsi in Sanskrit is “Matchless” and called as queen of all the herbs. O. sanctum is well known for its religious, spiritual, and cultural sanctity. OS tastes pungent and bitter. Its effect is hot, light, and dry. The root, leaves, and seed of OS possess several medicinal values. Cultivation of tulsi is widely done for its uses in pharmaceutical industry, perfumery, cosmetics industry, and indigenous systems of medicine. Treatment of the several ailments has been successfully performed from the time of Ayurveda. Ayurveda classifies OS as stimulant, aromatic, and antipyretic herbs; it shows activity by alleviating kapha and vata while aggravating pitta. The special attention has been given to essential oils along with herbal extract in scientific research due to their extraordinary potential in pharmacology, aromatic flavors, and extensive traditional practice. These phytochemicals are discovered from a different class of plant secondary metabolites, namely, phenolic compounds, flavonoids, phenylpropanoids, coumarins, tannins, terpenoids, essential oils, fixed oils, and steroids as well as some vitamins and minerals. A plethora of pharmacological activities such as anticancer, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-stress, free radical scavenger, anti-diabetic, antileishmanicidal, central nervous system (CNS) depressant, anticoagulant, ulcer protective, antifungal, hepatoprotective, antihypertensive, cardioprotective, antiasthmatic, immunomodulatory, antifertility, antiulcer, antiviral, and antimicrobial activity have been reported for OS. The different study suggests OS have no toxic effect in humans; peoples are using its leaf and stem from traditional periods of time, so OS is safe for the treatment of diseases directly as herbal medicine or as a nutraceutical for prevention of diseases. The information and data regarding traditional uses, major chemical constituents, pharmacological potentials, clinical study, and marketed formulation of tulsi have been well explored and noted in this chapter.

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Abbreviations

3-MeDAB:

3′-Methyl-4-dimethylaminoazo- benzene

ABTs:

2,2′-Azinobis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) radical

ADR:

Adverse drug reaction

AHH:

Aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase

ALP:

Alkaline phosphate

ALT:

Aminotransferase

API:

Active pharmaceutical ingredients

AQOS:

Aqueous extract of Ocimum sanctum

AST:

Aspartate amino transferase

BCL-2:

B-cell lymphoma 2

CAT:

Catalase

CCL4:

Tetrachloromethane

CD:

Cluster of differentiation

CDK4:

Cell division protein kinase 4

CK:

Creatine kinase

c-Myc:

Avian myelocytomatosis virus oncogene cellular homolog

COX:

Cyclooxygenase

CYT-c:

Cytochrome c

DM:

Diabetes mellitus

DMBA:

7,12-Dimethylbenz (a) anthracene

DPPH:

2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl.

ED50:

Effective dose

FBS:

Fasting blood sugar level

GAD:

Glutamic acid decarboxylase

GGT:

Gamma-glutamyl transferase

GK:

Glucokinase

GSH:

Glutathione

GSH-Px:

Glutathione peroxidase

GST:

Glutathione S-transferases

GSTP1:

Glutathione S-transferase pi gene

HbA1C:

Hemoglobin A1c

HK:

Hexokinase

hTERT:

Human telomerase reverse transcriptase.

IL-1β:

Interleukin 1 beta

IP:

Intra-peritoneal

K2O:

Potassium oxide

LOOH:

Lipid hydroperoxide or peroxide

LOX:

Lipoxygenase

LPO:

Lipid peroxidation

MDA:

Malondialdehyde

MFC:

Minimum fungicidal concentration

MGMT:

Methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase

MIC:

Minimum inhibitory concentration

MMP-9:

Matrix metallopeptidase 9

MNNG:

N-Methyl-N′-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine

N:

Nitrogen

NCCLS:

National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards

NSAIDs:

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs

ODC:

Ornithine decarboxylase

OS:

Ocimum sanctum

P2O5:

Phosphorus pentoxide

pAKT:

Phosphorylated-serine473-AKT

PARP:

Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase

PC:

Pyruvate carboxylase

PCNA:

Proliferating cell nuclear antigen

PERK:

PKR-like endoplasmic reticulum kinase

PFK:

Phosphofructokinase

PGE:

Prostaglandin

PP2BS:

Post-prandial blood sugar

pRb:

Retinoblastoma protein

RDA:

Recommended dietary allowance

ROS:

Reduced oxide species

SDH:

Succinate dehydrogenase

SOD:

Superoxide dismutase

T2DM:

Type 2 diabetes mellitus

TBARs:

Thiobarbituric acid reactive substances

u-EGF:

Epidermal growth factor family gene

USDA:

United States Department of Agriculture

UTI:

Urinary tract infection

UV:

Ultraviolets

WHO:

World Health Organization

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Bioorganic and Medicinal Chemistry Research Laboratory, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture, Technology and Sciences, Prayagraj, India

    Ashok Kumar Mandal, Netra Prasad Neupane & Amita Verma

  2. Department of Chemistry, Tri-Chandra Multiple Campus, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal

    Madhav Poudel

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  1. Ashok Kumar Mandal
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  3. Netra Prasad Neupane
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  4. Amita Verma
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  1. Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences School of Applied Science & Technology, University of Kashmir, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India

    Mubashir Hussain Masoodi

  2. Department of Clinical Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

    Muneeb U Rehman

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Mandal, A.K., Poudel, M., Neupane, N.P., Verma, A. (2022). Phytochemistry, Pharmacology, and Applications of Ocimum sanctum (Tulsi). In: Masoodi, M.H., Rehman, M.U. (eds) Edible Plants in Health and Diseases . Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-4959-2_4

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