Prashith Kekuda TR and Raghave
Abstract
Antigonon leptopus Hook. & Arn., belonging to the family Polygonaceae, is an invasive evergreen, woody liana. It is native to Mexico and is distributed in various parts of the world including India. In the present review, an extensive literature survey was carried out to update information available on the medicinal uses, phytochemistry and pharmacological activities of A. leptopus. The plant is shown to possess a wide range of phytochemicals. Alkaloids, phenolic compounds, saponins, triterpenoids and glycosides are detected in different parts of the plant. Compounds such as trihydroxy benzaldehyde, ferulic acid, quercetin-3-rhamnoside, anthraquinones, b-sitosterol and kaempherol-3-glucoside have been identified in the plant. The plant is used ethnomedicinally in various parts of the world for treating various ailments such as pain, cough, diabetes, dermatological problems, flu and stomachache. Different parts of the plant are investigated for pharmacological properties. The plant is reported to possess various bioactivities such as antimicrobial, antioxidant, hepatoprotective, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, cytotoxic and antidiabetic activities. Nanoparticles synthesized using A. leptopus were shown to exhibit bioactivities such as antimicrobial, antioxidant and cytotoxic activity. Information gathered from this extensive literature survey indicates the potential ethnomedicinal applications of A. leptopus and the possible utilization of the plant to develop pharmaceutical agents for disease therapy.