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Review
. 2022 Feb 4:2022:6025900.
doi: 10.1155/2022/6025900. eCollection 2022.

A Review of Recent Studies on the Antioxidant and Anti-Infectious Properties of Senna Plants

Affiliations
Review

A Review of Recent Studies on the Antioxidant and Anti-Infectious Properties of Senna Plants

Mohammed M Alshehri et al. Oxid Med Cell Longev. .

Abstract

The use of phytochemicals is gaining interest for the treatment of metabolic syndromes over the synthetic formulation of drugs. Senna is evolving as one of the important plants which have been vastly studied for its beneficial effects. Various parts of Senna species including the root, stem, leaves, and flower are found rich in numerous phytochemicals. In vitro, in vivo, and clinical experiments established that extracts from Senna plants have diverse beneficial effects by acting as a strong antioxidant and antimicrobial agent. In this review, Senna genus is comprehensively discussed in terms of its botanical characteristics, traditional use, geographic presence, and phytochemical profile. The bioactive compound richness contributes to the biological activity of Senna plant extracts. The review emphasizes on the in vivo and in vitro antioxidant and anti-infectious properties of the Senna plant. Preclinical studies confirmed the beneficial effects of the Senna plant extracts and its bioactive components in regard to the health-promoting activities. The safety, side effects, and therapeutic limitations of the Senna plant are also discussed in this review. Additional research is necessary to utilize the phenolic compounds towards its use as an alternative to pharmacological treatments and even as an ingredient in functional foods.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Geographical distribution of Senna species. All the regions where Senna plants are most common are highlighted in red
Figure 2
Figure 2
Chemical structures of mostly identified phytochemical compounds in Senna plants.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Antioxidant activity of bioactive compounds of Senna plants. The antioxidant bioactive molecules contained in Senna species neutralize free radicals by releasing electrons.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Anti-infectious properties of the most representative bioactive compounds of Senna plants. Botanical molecules such us alkaloids, sennoides, anthraquinones, phenolics, terpenoids, alkaloids, and triterpenoids have anti-infectious activity against bacteria, fungus, protozoa, and viruses (HIV, Coxsackie, and Herpes simplex).
Figure 5
Figure 5
Summarized scheme with side effects and clinical therapeutic limitations of Senna plant.

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