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Review
. 2022 Jun 4;27(11):3607.
doi: 10.3390/molecules27113607.

Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Phytochemical Components of Clinacanthus nutans

Wei-Yi Ong  1 , Deron R Herr  2 , Grace Y Sun  3 , Teng-Nan Lin  4
Affiliations
Review

Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Phytochemical Components of Clinacanthus nutans

Wei-Yi Ong et al. Molecules. .

Abstract

Recent studies on the ethnomedicinal use of Clinacanthus nutans suggest promising anti-inflammatory, anti-tumorigenic, and antiviral properties for this plant. Extraction of the leaves with polar and nonpolar solvents has yielded many C-glycosyl flavones, including schaftoside, isoorientin, orientin, isovitexin, and vitexin. Aside from studies with different extracts, there is increasing interest to understand the properties of these components, especially regarding their ability to exert anti-inflammatory effects on cells and tissues. A major focus for this review is to obtain information on the effects of C. nutans extracts and its phytochemical components on inflammatory signaling pathways in the peripheral and central nervous system. Particular emphasis is placed on their role to target the Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4)-NF-kB pathway and pro-inflammatory cytokines, the antioxidant defense pathway involving nuclear factor erythroid-2-related factor 2 (NRF2) and heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1); and the phospholipase A2 (PLA2) pathway linking to cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and production of eicosanoids. The ability to provide a better understanding of the molecular targets and mechanism of action of C. nutans extracts and their phytochemical components should encourage future studies to develop new therapeutic strategies for better use of this herb to combat inflammatory diseases.

Keywords: Clinacanthus nutans; inflammation; isoorientin; isovitexin; orientin; schaftoside; vitexin.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Clinacanthus nutans plant (Photo by W.Y. Ong).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Inflammatory and oxidative stress pathways targeted by C. nutans and its phytochemical components. Abbreviations: LPS: lipopolysaccharide; IKK: inhibitor of kappaB kinase; Raf: rapidly activated sarcoma; MEK1/2: mitogen activated protein kinase 1/2; P-ERK1/2: phosphorylated extracellular signal related kinase 1/2; NF-kB: nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells; iNOS: inducible nitric oxide synthase; cPLA2: cytosolic phospholipase A2; COX-2: cyclooxygenase 2; 5-LOX: 5-lipoxygenase; ARA: arachidonic acid; lyso-PtdCho: lysophosphatidylcholine; PAF: platelet activating factor; sPLA2: secretory phopholipase A2, TNF-α: tumor necrosis factor-alpha; IL-1β: interleukin-1β; Nrf-2: nuclear factor erythroid 2–related factor 2; KEAP1: Kelch-like ECH associated protein 1.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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