Review of Arnebia euсhroma as a Potential Medicinal Plant Based on Phytochemistry and Pharmacological Activity

Abstract

Abstract: Arnebia euchroma, commonly known as "Pink Arnebia," is a plant from the Boraginaceae family found in Western and Central Asia. Traditionally, it has been used to treat respiratory, gastrointestinal, and dermatological ailments. Recent studies have highlighted its pharmacological properties and potential health advantages, resulting in increased interest in this plant. Pharmacognostic investigations have revealed the presence of various beneficial phytochemicals. Phytochemical studies have identified several bioactive compounds in A. euсhroma, such as eugormoside A, eugormoside B, scopoletin, and β-sitosterol, which exhibit diverse biological activities like antioxidant, antimicrobial, anticancer, and anti-ulcer effects. The therapeutic potential of these bioactive compounds suggests that A. euсhroma could be beneficial for a wide range of diseases. Pharmacological studies have validated the plant's healing properties, demonstrating its antimicrobial activity against various pathogens. Furthermore, A. euсhroma extracts possess antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that can potentially mitigate oxidative stress and inflammation-related diseases. Other pharmacological actions of A. euсhroma include wound healing, gastroprotective, hepatoprotective, and anti-diabetic effects. Overall, A. euсhroma exhibits promise as a medicinal plant with significant health benefits. However, further research is required to identify the active compounds responsible for its pharmacological activity and elucidate their primary mechanisms of action. Additionally, clinical studies are necessary to assess its safety and efficacy when used therapeutically. The primary objective of this review is to showcase the phytochemical composition and traditional ethnopharmacological applications of A. euchroma worldwide. The study examines previous research concerning this plant, laying the foundation for a forward-looking perspective on the potential future of A. euchroma.

Keywords

• chemical content
• Traditional uses
• Pharmacological activities
• distribution of A. euchroma

References

1. Akram, M. (2019). Ethnopharmacological survey of medicinal plants used in traditional medicine by the communities of Alai Valley, Kyrgyzstan. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 235, 84-99.
2. Aldayarov, N., Tulobaev, A., Salykov, R., Jumabekova, J., Kydyralieva, B., Omurzakova, N., Kurmanbekova, G., Imanberdieva, N., Usubaliev, B., Borkoev, B., Salieva, K., Salieva, Z., Omurzakov, T., & Chekirov, K. (2022). An ethnoveterinary study of wild medicinal plants used by the Kyrgyz farmers. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 285, 114842. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jep.2021.114842
3. Ashkani-Esfahani, S., Imanieh, M., Khoshneviszadeh, M., Meshksar, A., Noorafshan, A., Geramizadeh, B., Ebrahimi, S., Handjani, F., & Tanideh, N. (2012). The healing effect of Arnebia euchroma in second degree burn wounds in rat as an animal model. Iranian Red Crescent Medical Journal, 14(2), 70-74.
4. Ali, N. (2007). Anti-inflammatory and analgesic potential of A. euсhroma (Royle) Johnst. Roots. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 113(3), 406-411.
5. Amanpour, A., Vandamme, J., Polat, S., Kelebek, H., Van, D. J., & Serkan, S. (2015). GC–MS–olfactometric characterization of the most aroma-active components in a representative aromatic extract from Iranian saffron (Crocus sativus L.). Food Chemistry, 182, 251–256.
6. Andújar, I, Recio, M C, Bacelli, T, Giner, R M, & Ríos, J L (2010). Shikonin reduces oedema induced by phorbol ester by interfering with IkappaBalpha degradation thus inhibiting translocation of NF-kappaB to the nucleus. British Journal of Pharmacology, 160(2), 376-88.
7. Annan, K., & Houghton, P. J. (2008). Antibacterial, antioxidant, and fibroblast growth stimulation of aqueous extracts of Ficus asperifolia Miq. And Gossypium arboreum L, wound-healing plants of Ghana. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 119(1), 141-144.
8. Baktybekov, E. (2017). Natural Dyeing with Plant Materials in Kyrgyzstan. Textile Research Journal, 87(17), 2049-2057.

9. Bali, Y. Y., Yilanci, S., Yuzbasioglu, M., Unlu, R. E., Orhan, E., Guvenalp, Z. (2015). The evaluation of wound healing potential of acetyl alkannin isolated from Arnebia purpurea. Planta Medica, 81(16), 14.
10. Bazarbayev, Z. (2020). Traditional Natural Dyeing of Wool with A. euсhroma in Kyrgyzstan. Textiles and Light Industrial Science and Technology, 2(1), 26-33.
11. Cao, H., Zhang, W., Liu, D., Hou, M., Liu, S., He, W., Lin, J., & Shao, M. (2020). Identification, in vitro evaluation and modeling studies of the constituents from the roots of Arnebia euchroma for antitumor activity and STAT3 inhibition. Bioorganic Chemistry, 96, 103655. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bioorg.2020.103655
12. Choudhary, M. I., Yousaf, S., & Ahmed, S. (2004). Nautaquinone A: a cytotoxic and antimicrobial naphthoquinone derivative from Arnebia euchroma. Planta Medica, 70(12), 1150-1152.
13. Dar, G. H., Bhagat, R. C., & Khan, M. A. (2002). Biodiversity of the Kashmir Himalaya. Valley Book.
14. El-Keblawy, A. A., & Khedr, A. H. A. (2017). Population structure and ecological role of Moringa peregrina (Forssk.) Fiori. at its northwestern range edge in the Hajar Mountains. Plant Biosystems - An International Journal Dealing with all Aspects of Plant Biology, 151(1), 29–38. https://doi.org/10.1080/11263504.2015.1056856
15. Fabricant, D. S., & Farnsworth, N. R. (2001). The value of plants used in traditional medicine for drug discovery. Environmental Health Perspectives, 109, 69-75.
16. Ganie, S. A., Jan, A., Muzaffar, S., Zargar, B. A., Hamid, R., & Zargar, M. A. (2012). Radical scavenging and antibacterial activity of Arnebia benthamii methanol extract. Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Medicine, 5(10), 766–772. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1995-7645(12)60140-0
17. Gao, H., Liu, L., Qu, Z. Y., Wei, F. X., Wang, S. Q., Chen, G. (2011). Anti-adenovirus activities of shikonin, a component of Chinese herbal medicine in vitro. Biological & Pharmaceutical Bulletin, 34(2), 197-202.
18. Gupta, K., Garg, S., Singh, J., & Kumar, M. (2014). Enhanced production of naphthoquinone metabolite (shikonin) from cell suspension culture of Arnebia sp. and it’s up-scaling through bioreactor. 3 Biotech, 4(3), 263–273. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13205-013-0149-x
19. Hosseini, A., Mirzaee, F., Davoodi, A., Jouybari, H. B., & Azadbakht, M. (2018). The traditional medicine aspects, biological activity and phytochemistry of Arnebia spp. Medical Glasnik, 15(1). https://doi.org/10.17392/926-18
20. Huang, G., Zhao, H. R., Meng, Q. Q., Zhang, Q. J., Dong, J. Y., Zhu, B. Q. (2018). Synthesis and biological evaluation of sulfur-containing shikonin oxime derivatives as potential antineoplastic agents. European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, 143(1), 166-81.
21. Husain, A., Ahmad, I., & Khan, M. S. (2001). Anti-inflammatory, anti-ulcer and hepatoprotective activities of Arnebia euchroma. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 75(2-3), 283-289.
22. Hussain, H., Krohn, K., & Ahmad, V. U. (2012). Naphthoquinone derivatives from A. euchroma with antibacterial and antifungal activities. Pharmaceutical Biology, 50(4), 489-493.
23. Hussain, S., Imran, M., Nadeem, M. (2019). Phytochemicals from various tissues of A. euсhroma and their bioactivities. Molecules, 24(7), 1315.
24. Israili, Z. H. (2009). Ethnopharmacological studies of indigenous medicinal plants of Sarban Hills, Abbottabad District, Pakistan. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 122(2), 142-157.
25. Jain, S. C., Singh, B., & Jain, R. (2000). Arnebins and antimicrobial activities of Arnebia hispidissima DC. Cell cultures. Phytomedicine, 6(6), 474-476. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0944-7113(00)80077-X
26. Janibekov, A. A. (2017). Medicinal plants of the Kyrgyzstan flora: ethnopharmacological aspects. Journal of Applied Pharmaceutical Science, 7(3), 196-201.
27. Kala, C. P. (2000). Status and conservation of rare and endangered medicinal plants in the Indian trans-Himalaya. Biological Conservation, 93(3), 371–379.
28. Kashiwada, Y., Nishizawa, M., Yamagishi, T., Tanaka, T., Nonaka, G. I., Cosentino, L. M., & Lee, K. H. (1995). Anti-AIDS agents, 18. Sodium and potassium salts of caffeic acid A tetramers from Arnebia euchroma as anti-HIV agents. Journal of Natural Products, 58(3), 392–400. https://doi.org/10.1021/np50117a007
29. Khan, A. (2015). Anti-diabetic activities of ethanol extract and fractions of A. euсhroma (Royle) Johnston root in alloxan-induced diabetic rats. Journal of Medicinal Plants Research, 9(32), 846-853
30. Kaya, Y., Haji, E. K., Arvas, Y. E., & Aksoy, H. M. (2019). Sambucus ebulus L.: Past, present and future. Paper presented at the AIP Conference Proceedings. 2155, 020030 (2019) https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5125534
31. Kim, M. S., Lee, J. S., Shin, T. Y. (2019). Anti-inflammatory effects of alkannin, shikonin, and acetylshikonin from the medicinal herb Lithospermum erythrorhizon. Food and Chemical Toxicology, 132, 110691.
32. Kumar, A., Shashni, S., Kumar, P., Pant, D., Singh, A., & Verma, R. K. (2021). Phytochemical constituents, distributions and traditional usages of Arnebia euchroma: A review. Journal of Ethnopharmacology.
33. Lee, K. J., Jang, D. J., Jang, S. A. (2017). β,β-dimethylacrylshikonin induces apoptosis via ROS-mediated MAPKs activation in non-small-cell lung cancer cells. Oncology Reports, 38(1), 437-444.
34. Li, H., Zhang, Y., & Zhang, G. (2010). Anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities of A. euchroma phenolic extracts. Journal of Food Science and Technology, 52(11), 7441-7447.
35. Li, T. (2015). A. euсhroma (Royle) Johnst: Ethnopharmacology, Phytochemistry and Pharmacological and Industrial Applications. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 175, 292-308.
36. Li, Y. (2016). Identification of chemical composition in natural dyes by ultra-performance liquid chromatography with electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry. Journal of Chromatography A, 1462, 37-43.
37. Liang, W., Cai, A., Chen, G., Xi, H., Wu, X., & Cui, J. (2016). Shikonin induces mitochondria-mediated apoptosis and enhances chemotherapeutic sensitivity of gastric cancer through reactive oxygen species. Scientific Reports, 6(1), 1-2.
38. Lin, Z. B., Chai, B. L., Wang, P., Guo, Q. X., Lu, F. S., & Xiang, G. Q. (1980). Studies on the anti-inflammatory effect of chemical principle of Zi-cao (Arnebia euchroma). Pei Ching I Hsueh Yuan Hsueh Pao, 12, 101–106.
39. Liao, M., Zeng, C. F., & Liang, F. P. (2020). Two new dimeric naphthoquinone from Arnebia euchroma. Phytochemistry Letters, 37, 106–109. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.phytol.2020.04.004
40. Liu, X. (2019). Shikonin exerts anti-psoriatic effects by inhibiting the proliferation and differentiation of keratinocytes. Life Sciences, 219, 274-284.
41. Liu, H., Jin, Y. S., Song, Y., Yang, X. N., Yang, X. W., Geng, D. S., & Chen, H. S. (2010). Three new compounds from Arnebia euchroma. Journal of Asian Natural Products Research, 12(4), 286–292. https://doi.org/10.1080/10286021003743861
42. Malik, S., Bhushan, S., Sharma, M., & Ahuja, P. S. (2016). Biotechnological approaches to the production of shikonins: A critical review with recent updates. Critical Reviews in Biotechnology, 36(2), 327-40.
43. Mirage, A., Kabbaj, F. Z., & El Gharous, M. (2019). Antifungal activity of Aristolochia euchroma and its mechanism of action against Candida albicans and Aspergillus niger. Journal de Mycologie Médicale, 29(2), 147-153. doi: 10.1016/j.mycmed.2019.01.008
44. Monsef-Esfahani, H. R., Amini, M., & Abdollahi, M. (2004). Antinociceptive effects of A. euсhroma root extract. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 91(2-3), 301-304.
45. Nuorani, M. (2005). Encyclopedia of Medicine. Volume III. Tehran: Miras Maktub Pub.
46. Pandey, A., Tripathi, S., Kumar, A. (2017). Chemical constituents and biological activities of Arnebia euchroma: A review. Journal of Applied Pharmaceutical Science, 7(12), 222-231.
47. Papageorgiou, V. P., Assimopoulou, A. N., Couladouros, E. A., Hepworth, D., & Nicolaou, K. (1999). The chemistry and biology of alkannin, shikonin, and related naphthazarin natural products. Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 38(3), 270-301.
48. Parray, J. A., Hamid, R., Kamili, A. N., Shameem, N., Jan, S., & Ganai, B. A. (2015). Biological efficacy and radical scavenging potential of shikonin in Arnebia benthamii (Wall ex. G Don) Johnston. Industrial Crops and Products, 74, 434–439. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indcrop.2015.04.040
49. Pirbalouti, A., Azizi, S., Koohpayeh, A., & Golparvar, A. (2002). An overview of the ethnobotany and socio-economic importance of medicinal plants in Kyrgyzstan. Journal of Applied Pharmaceutical Science, 4(4), 030-039.
50. Roeder, E., & Rengel-Mayer, B. (1993). Pyrrolizidine alkaloids from Arnebia euchroma. Planta Medica, 59, 192-192.
51. Rustaiyan, A., Larijani, K., Yazdani, D., & Nadji, K. (2001). Chemical constituents of A. euchroma (Royle) Johnston roots. Daru, 9(3), 14-16.
52. Saeedi, M., Ebrahimzadeh, M. A., Nabavi, S. F., & Nabavi, S. M. (2001). Antioxidant activity of methanol extract of Arnebia euchroma. Pharmacognosy Magazine, 7(28), 46-51.
53. Samant, S. S., & Lal, M. (2015). Diversity, distribution, ecological niche modeling and economic importance of Bamboo species in North Western and Western Himalaya. International Journal of Biodiversity Science and Management, 3(2007), 234–251.
54. Sankawa, U., Ebizuka, Y., Miyazaki, T., Isomura, Y., Otsuka, H., Shibata, S., & Fukukoa, F. (1977). Antitumor activity of shikonin and its derivatives. Chem. Pharm. Bull., 25(9), 2392-5.
55. doi: 10.1248/cpb.25.2392.
56. Sasaki, K., Abe, H., & Yoshizaki, F. (2002). In vitro antifungal activity of naphthoquinone derivatives. Biological and Pharmaceutical Bulletin, 25(5), 66970.
57. Sharma, U., Kumar, N., Kumar, V., & Prakash, O. (2014). A review on natural dye-yielding plants: Arnebia euchroma. International Journal of Advanced Research, 2(12), 860-869.
58. Sharma, P. (2020). Arnebin-7 isolated from A. euсhroma root accelerates diabetic wound healing in vitro and in vivo. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 257, 112868.
59. Shen, C. C., Syu, W. J., Li, S. Y., Lin, C. H., Lee, G. H., & Sun, C. M. (2002). Antimicrobial activities of naphthazarins from A. euсhroma. Journal of Natural Products, 65(12), 1857-862.
60. Shilov, S. V., Gulbaram, O., Lashyn, N., Ilya, S., Korotetskiy, N. V., Kudashkina, N. V., Zubenko, R. A., Parenova, A. B., Jumagaziyeva, Z. A., & Iskakbayeva, S. T. (2022). Component Composition and Biological Activity of Various Extracts of Onosma gmelinii (Boraginaceae). International Journal of Biomaterials, 2022(10), 1-14.
61. Singh, B. (2001). Scope of Arid Zone Plants as Medicinal Agents. Doctoral Dissertation. Ph. D. Thesis. University of Rajasthan, Jaipur, India.
62. Singh, B., Sharma, M., Meghwal, P., Sahu, P., & Singh, S. (2003). Anti-inflammatory activity of shikonin derivatives from Arnebia hispidissima. Phytomedicine, 10(5), 375-80.
63. Singh, S., Prakash, S., & Dhawan, B. N. (2006). Antimicrobial activity of some Indian medicinal plants. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 107(2), 182-188.
64. Singh, B. (2010). Pharmacological properties of Arnebia euchroma-a review. Indian Journal of Traditional Knowledge, 9(2), 325-331.
65. Singh, B., Singh, J. P., Kaur, A. (2015). A. euсhroma (Royle) Johnst.: A review of its traditional uses, botany, phytochemistry, pharmacology and toxicology. Arabian Journal of Chemistry, 8(5), 749-755.
66. Srivastava, A., Shukla, Y. N., & Kumar, S. (1999). Chemistry and pharmacology of the genus Arnebia-a review. Journal of Medicinal and Aromatic Plant Sciences, 21(4), 1131–1138.
67. Sujatha, R. (2016). Arnebia euchroma: A Review on Its Phytochemical and Pharmacological Profile. Pharmacognosy Reviews, 10(19), 51-56.
68. Tanaka, S., Tajima, M., Tsukada, M., & Tabata, M. (1986). A comparative study on anti-inflammatory activities of the enantiomers, shikonin and alkannin. Journal of Natural Products, 49(3), 466–469. https://doi.org/10.1021/np50045a014
69. Tavakoli, N., Tabaraki, R., & Salimi, A. (2010). Anti-inflammatory and antispasmodic effects of A. euchroma root extract on rat isolated ileum. Journal of Medicinal Plants Research, 4(22), 2355-2359.
70. Trüeb, R. M. (2020). Brief History of Human Nutrition. In: Nutrition for Healthy Hair. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-59920-1_2
71. Uysal, S. (2018). The effects of A. euсhroma root extract on some biochemical parameters and antioxidant activities in rats with subacute exposure to cadmium. Biological Trace Element Research, 186(1), 131-141.
72. Wang, L. (2019). Cultivation of A. euсhroma as a cash crop to promote sustainable use and conservation of the plant in Yunnan Province, China. Economic Botany, 73(1), 31-41.
73. Wanninger, S., Lorenz, V., Subramanian, S. (2018). Identification of benzoic acid derivatives as potent inhibitors of the canonical Wnt pathway. European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, 151, 450-462.
74. Yang, M. H., Blunden, G., O’neill, M. J., & Lewis, J. A. (1992). Tormentic acid and 2α-hydroxyursolic acid from Arnebia euchroma. Planta Medica, 58, 227-227.
75. Yang, X. (2021). A. euсhroma (Royle) Johnst. ex Gamble: a comprehensive review of its traditional uses, phytochemistry, pharmacology, and safety. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 282, 114538.
76. Yang, X. (2016). Triterpenoids and naphthoquinones from the roots of A. euсhroma and their anti-inflammatory activities. Fitoterapia, 115, 79-84.
77. Yin, H. (2017). Shikonin promotes skin cell proliferation and inhibits nuclear factor-κB expression and phosphorylation in HaCaT cells. Experimental and Therapeutic Medicine, 14(3), 2203-2208.
78. You, Y. J., Kim, Y., Song, G. Y., & Ahn, B. Z. (2000). (E)-6-(1alkyloxyiminoalkyl)-5, 8-dimethoxy-1, 4naphthoquinones: synthesis, cytotoxic activity and anti-tumor activity. Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry Letters, 10(20), 2301-303.
79. Yuzbasioglu, Baran, M., Guvenalp, Z., Saracoglu, I., Kazaz, C., Salih, B., Demirezer, L. O., Kuruuzum-Uz, A. (2020). Cytotoxic naphthoquinones from Arnebia densiflora (Nordm.) Ledeb and determining new apoptosis inducers. Natural Product Research, 34(12), 1669–1677. https://doi.org/10.1080/14786419.2018.1525714
80. Zhang, L., Zhang, H., Zheng, X., Zhao, Y., Chen, S., Chen, Y., ... & Hu, X. (2014). Structural basis for the inhibition of AKR1B10 by caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE). Chem. Med. Chem., 9(4), 706-709.
81. Zhang, Y. (2019). Shikonin and its derivatives: a patent review. Expert Opinion on Therapeutic Patents, 29(11), 869-881.
82. Zhang, Y., Han, H., Sun, L., Qiu, H., Lin, H., Yu, L. (2017). Antiviral activity of shikonin ester derivative PMM-034 against enterovirus 71 in vitro. Brazilian Journal of Medical and Biological Research, 50(10), 6586.
83. Zhao, X., Zhu, Y., Hu, J., Jiang, L., Li, L., Jia, S., & Zen, K. (2018). Shikonin inhibits tumor growth in mice by suppressing pyruvate kinase M2-mediated aerobic glycolysis. Scientific Reports, 8(1), 1–8.
84. Zhou, X., Seto, S. W., Chang, D. (2017). Synergistic effects of Chinese herbal medicine: A comprehensive review of methodology and current research. Frontiers in Pharmacology, 8, 428. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2017.00428