Article
- Projet
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Ahcène BOUMENDJEL, Marine PEUCHMAUR, Basile PERES, Benjamin BOUCHERLE, Romain HAUDECOEUR,
- Titre
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Traditional uses, phytochemistry and pharmacological properties of African Nauclea species: A review
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[Full paper ]
- Auteurs
- R. Haudecoeur, M. Peuchmaur, B. Pérès, M. Rome, G. Sotoing Taiwe, A. Boumendjel, B. Boucherle
- Edition
- Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 2018, 212, 106-136
- Année
- 2018
- Résumé
- Ethnopharmacoalogical relevance: The genus Nauclea in Africa comprises seven species. Among them, N. latifolia,
N. diderrichii and N. pobeguinii are widely used by the local population in traditional remedies. Preparation from
various parts of plants (e.g. roots, bark, leaves) are indicated by traditional healers for a wide range of diseases
including malaria, pain, digestive ailments or metabolic diseases.
Materials and methods: A literature search was conducted on African species of the genus Nauclea using scientific
databases such as Google Scholar, Pubmed or SciFinder. Every document of ethnopharmacological, phytochemical
or pharmacological relevance and written in English or French were analyzed.
Results and discussion: The Nauclea genus is used as ethnomedicine all along sub-Saharan Africa. Several local
populations consider Nauclea species as a major source of remedies for malaria. In this regard, two improved
traditional medicines are currently under development using extracts from N. latifolia and N. pobeguinii.
Concerning the chemical composition of the Nauclea genus, indoloquinolizidines alkaloids could be considered
as the major class of compounds as they are reported in every analyzed Nauclea species, with numerous
structures identified. Based on traditional indications a considerable amount of pharmacological studies were
conducted to ensure activity and attempt to link them to the presence of particular compounds in plant extracts.
Conclusion: Many experimental studies using plant extracts of the African species of the genus Nauclea validate
traditional indications (e.g. malaria and pain). However, bioactive compounds are rarely identified and therefore,
there is a clear need for further evaluations as well as for toxicity experiments. The sustainability of these
plants, especially of N. diderrichii, a threatened species, should be kept in mind to adapt local uses and preparation
modes of traditional remedies.