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Review
. 2020 Jul 31:2020:1920683.
doi: 10.1155/2020/1920683. eCollection 2020.

Medicinal Uses, Phytochemistry, and Pharmacological Activities of Quercus Species

Mehdi Taib  1 , Yassine Rezzak  1 , Lahboub Bouyazza  1 , Badiaa Lyoussi  2
Affiliations
Review

Medicinal Uses, Phytochemistry, and Pharmacological Activities of Quercus Species

Mehdi Taib et al. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. .

Abstract

Quercus species, also known as oak, represent an important genus of the Fagaceae family. It is widely distributed in temperate forests of the northern hemisphere and tropical climatic areas. Many of its members have been used in traditional medicine to treat and prevent various human disorders such as asthma, hemorrhoid, diarrhea, gastric ulcers, and wound healing. The multiple biological activities including anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, hepatoprotective, antidiabetic, anticancer, gastroprotective, antioxidant, and cytotoxic activities have been ascribed to the presence of bioactive compounds such as triterpenoids, phenolic acids, and flavonoids. This paper aimed to provide available information on the medicinal uses, phytochemicals, and pharmacology of species from Quercus. However, further investigation is needed to fully clarify the mode of action of its bioactive compounds and to evaluate in vivo chronic toxicity, before exploring their potential use as a supplement in functional foods and natural pharmaceutics.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
(a) Chemical structure of the 3 new pentacyclic triterpenes which were elucidated to be 3-O-galloyloleanolic acid, 23-acetoxy-3-O-galloyloleanolic acid, and 3-acetoxy-23-O-galloyloleanolic acid from the Q. liaotungensis acorn [49]. (b) Four new triterpenoid saponins from Q. serrata var. brevipetiolata [45]. (c) New triterpenoid saponins isolated from acorns of Q. serrata var. brevipetiolata [44]. (d) Three new 24-noroleanane triterpenoids from Q. aliena var. acuteserrata [88].
Figure 2
Figure 2
(a) Chemical structure of three pentacyclic triterpenoids isolated from the Q. crispula Blume outer bark [50]. (b) Eight new triterpenoids (1−8) isolated from Q. petraea [89]. (c) 12 new triterpenoids identified from oak heartwood Q. robur [90].
Figure 3
Figure 3
Chemical structures of bioactive compounds of Quercus species.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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