AUTHOR=Antão Ana Ribeirinha , Bangay Gabrielle , Domínguez-Martín Eva María , Díaz-Lanza Ana María , Ríjo Patrícia 

TITLE=Plectranthus ecklonii Benth: A Comprehensive Review Into its Phytochemistry and Exerted Biological Activities

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Pharmacology

VOLUME=12

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/pharmacology/articles/10.3389/fphar.2021.768268

DOI=10.3389/fphar.2021.768268

ISSN=1663-9812

ABSTRACT=<p><bold>Ethnopharmacological Relevance:</bold><italic>Plectranthus</italic> genus (<italic>Lamiaceae</italic> family) contain several species with acknowledged ethnopharmacological uses, such as, for gastrointestinal and respiratory-related problems, due to their anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and antifungal properties. The bioactivity of isolated medicinal compounds from this genus justifies the increased interest in recent times for species of <italic>Plectranthus</italic>, placing them in the spotlight for natural product drug development.</p><p><bold>Aim of the study:</bold> To the best of our knowledge, this is the first review on the biological activities of <italic>Plectranthus ecklonii</italic> Benth. As such, the aim of this review was three-fold: 1) to summarize the chemical compounds isolated from <italic>P. ecklonii</italic>; 2) to collate the biological activities and mechanisms of action of these compounds from <italic>in vitro</italic> studies; and 3) to evaluate the documented uses and potential applications of this species, in order to postulate on the direction of pharmaceutical uses of this species.</p><p><bold>Materials and methods:</bold> An extensive database retrieval was performed using the electronic databases Web of Science, PubMed, Google Scholar and ScienceDirect. The search criteria consisted of the keywords “<italic>Plectranthus ecklonii</italic>”, “<italic>Plectranthus ecklonii</italic> + review”, “<italic>Plectranthus ecklonii</italic> + diterpenes” or “<italic>Plectranthus ecklonii</italic> + abietanes”, “<italic>ecklonii</italic> + parviflorone D”, searched individually and as combinations. Eligibility criteria were set out and titles in English, Portuguese and Spanish were reviewed, with all references included dating from 1970 to 2021. A total of 169 papers were selected and included. Chemical structures were drawn using ChemDraw 20.0, CID numbers were searched in PubChem and the PRISMA diagram was created using PowerPoint 2012.</p><p><bold>Results:</bold> To date, a total of 28 compounds have been isolated from <italic>P. ecklonii</italic>, including diterpenes, triterpenes, flavonoids, and hydroxycinnamic acids. Most focused on the antimicrobial action of its constituents, although compounds have demonstrated other bioactivities, namely antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antitumor. The most recent studies emphasize the diterpenoids, particularly parviflorone D, with the help of nanotechnology.</p><p><bold>Conclusions:</bold> The widespread ethnobotanical and traditional uses of <italic>P. ecklonii</italic> can be scientifically justified by a range of biological activities, demonstrated by isolated secondary metabolites. These bioactivities showcase the potential of this species in the development of economically important active pharmaceutical ingredients, particularly in anticancer therapy.</p>