review article an overview of important ethnomedicinal...

Review ArticleAn Overview of Important Ethnomedicinal Herbs ofPhyllanthus Species Present Status and Future Prospects

Bharti Sarin1 Nidhi Verma2 Juan Pedro Martiacuten3 and Aparajita Mohanty1

1 Department of Botany Gargi College University of Delhi Siri Fort Road New Delhi 110049 India2National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources IARI Campus New Delhi 110012 India3 Departamento de Biologia Vegetal Escuela Tecnica Superior de Ingenieros Agronomos Universidad Politecnica de MadridCiudad Universitaria sn 28040 Madrid Spain

Correspondence should be addressed to Aparajita Mohanty aparajitagargigmailcom

Received 29 August 2013 Accepted 30 October 2013 Published 3 February 2014

Academic Editors R Aroca W L Morris and S Sakr

Copyright copy 2014 Bharti Sarin et al This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution Licensewhich permits unrestricted use distribution and reproduction in any medium provided the original work is properly cited

The genus Phyllanthus consists of more than 1000 species of which many are used as traditional medicines The plant extractshave been used since ancient times for treating hypertension diabetes hepatic urinary and sexual disorders and othercommon ailments Modern day scientific investigations have now confirmed pharmacognostic properties of Phyllanthus herbsThephytochemicals attributing these medicinal properties have been identified in many of the Phyllanthus herbsThe morphologicallysimilar herbs of Phyllanthus grow together and admixture of species during collection for manufacture of herbal medicines isquite common Hence along with pharmacognostic and phytochemical studies appropriate protocols for correct identificationof species are also important As the use of these herbs as green medicines is becoming more popular it is imperative to assessits genetic diversity and phylogenetic relatedness for future conservation strategies This review is an attempt to present anoverview of the existing studies on pharmacognostics phytochemistry species identification and genetic diversity of Phyllanthusherbs and consequently (i) highlight areas where further research is needed and (ii) draw attention towards extending similarstudies in underutilized but potentially important herbs such as P maderaspatensis P kozhikodianus P rheedii P scabrifolius andP rotundifolius

1 Introduction

The genus Phyllanthus (Phyllanthaceae) consists of approx-imately 1000 species spread over the American AfricanAustralian and Asian continents [1 2] All three majorhabits that is trees shrubs and herbs are seen amongstthe Phyllanthus species Most of the herbs belonging togenus Phyllanthus have been shown to contain differentcombinations of secondary metabolites which render themwith medicinal properties The major class of bioactivecompounds like alkaloids flavonoids lignans phenols tan-nins and terpenes has been isolated from these herbs[3 4]

Of a number of Phyllanthus herbs that are used all overthe world as traditional herbal remedies 12 important her-baceous species are discussed here The species included areP ajmerianus Rao and Choudhary P amarus Schum and

Thonn P debilis Klein ex Wild P fraternus Webster P koz-hikodianus Sivadasan and Manilal P maderaspatensis LP rheediiWight P rotundifolius Klein ex Wild P scabrifoliusHookf P tenellus Roxb P urinaria L and P virgatus GForst Of these 12 species P ajmerianus is reported onlyfrom India [5] All of these herbs except P ajmerianusP rotundifolius and P scabrifolius have been scientificallyinvestigated and proven to be of pharmacological valueThe ethnic tribes of India and other Asian countries haveused the herbs of Phyllanthus species since ancient timesas traditional home remedies The decoctions of variousparts of the herbs are used for treating hepatic urinary andsexually transmitted diseases diabetes hypertension cancerand wounds Taking cue from the ethnic medications andpotential of herbal treatments the modern society is noweager to resort to green medicines which are without adverseside effects Many of the Phyllanthus herbs form an integral

Hindawi Publishing Corporatione Scientific World JournalVolume 2014 Article ID 839172 12 pageshttpdxdoiorg1011552014839172

2 The Scientific World Journal

part of Ayurveda an Indian system of medicine Consideringthe importance and potential of these herbs it is naturalthat most of the studies are directed towards the phytochem-ical analysis and pharmacognostics (references detailed inTables 1 and 2) However for appropriate utilization of theherbs for ethnopharmacological investigations and prepa-ration of herbal medicines the correct identification ofPhyllanthus species is very important Also with the growingutilization of these herbs in pharmaceutical industries therisk of loss of genetic diversity existsThere are comparativelya lesser number of reports focusing on molecular taxonomyfor identification of species and interspecificintraspecificgenetic diversity studies

Keeping this present scenario in view 12 important Phyl-lanthus herbs (P ajmerianus P amarus P debilis P fraternusP kozhikodianus P maderaspatensis P rheedii P rotundi-folius P scabrifolius P tenellus P urinaria and P virgatus)are reviewed with the following objectives (i) to assess andhence direct efforts towards further studies on phytochem-istry and pharmacognostics of the important herbs (ii) tofocus on the need to initiate studies of underresearched butpotentially important medicinal herbs and (iii) to assess theexisting studies on identification of species genetic diversityand phylogeny which will have an impact on formulatingconservation strategies in future The detailed assessment ofclinical studies pertaining to the Phyllanthus herbs has notbeen elaborated in the present review

2 Pharmacognosy of Phyllanthus Herbs

Of the 12 Phyllanthus herb species nine species (P amarusP debilis P fraternus P kozhikodianus P maderaspatensisP rheedii P tenellus P urinaria and P virgatus) have beenscientifically analyzed whereas the remaining three species(P ajmerianus P rotundifolius and P scabrifolius) havenot been investigated for their medicinal properties Thepharmacognostics of each of the nine herbs is discussed here

21 P amarus This herb finds its use worldwide for treatingproblems of stomach genitourinary system liver kidney andspleen It plays an important role in Ayurveda an Indiansystem ofmedicine and is used to treat jaundice gastropathydiarrhoea dysentery fevers menorrhagia scabies genitalinfections ulcers and wounds [62] Decoctions of wholeplants are used for treating migraine jaundice [63ndash65]gonorrhea and syphilis skin disease and malaria [66 67]Paste of leaves or its decoction [68ndash72] and juice of roots [73]are used for treating jaundice Chronic dysentery menstrualproblems anorexia urinary tract infection and diabetes arealso treated by leaf extract taken orally [65 69 72 74]Extracts of the plant can prevent mutation of cells in thepresence of chemical agents [75]

22 P debilis This herb shows antihepatotoxic [25] andanti-inflammatory [76] properties Leaf juice is taken orallyby the Kamar Gond and Halba tribes of Chattisgarh inIndia for relief of problems related to sickle-cell anemia [77]The aqueous extract of the plant shows antihyperglycemic

property [78] P debilis has been shown to possess maximumantioxidant activity compared to P amarus P maderaspaten-sis P urinaria and P virgatus [79]

23 P fraternus Traditionally in India the herb was used asa mild laxative to expel worms and intestinal gas The plantextracts are used for treating many types of biliary and uri-nary conditions like gall bladder kidney stones and bacterialinfections such as cystitis prostatitis viral infections hepati-tis flu tuberculosis liver diseases anemia veneral diseasesand urinary tract infections [80] The antimicrobial propertyof P fraternus has been reported by Chanda et al [81]The aqueous extract of the plant shows antioxidant property[82] and has protective effect against bromobenzene inducedmitochondrial dysfunction [83] Also the extract can reducetoxicity of drugs such as cisplatin and cyclophosphamideand therefore can be used to raise the therapeutic potentialof anticancer drugs [84] Ethanolic extract of the herbhas antioxidant and anticoagulant property in experimentalmodels [85] According to Hukeri et al [86] the flavonoidspresent in the herb show hypoglycemic effect in rats

24 P kozhikodianus This herb provides protection to liveragainst chemical induced liver damage [87] The herb wasscreened for hepatoprotective activity against liver damageinduced by paracetamol in rats Histological examination ofliver confirmed hepatoprotective and antihepatotoxic prop-erties [88]

25 P maderaspatensis Ethanolic extract of this herb dem-onstrated chemoprotective effect in modulating cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity and genotoxicity thus proving itsantioxidative property [89] This extract is also taken as apopular dietary supplement in the southern part of India Ithas been experimented as an ameliorative for adriamycin-induced toxicity and oxidative stress in mice [90] Wholeplant extracts have shown antihepatotoxic hepatoprotectiveand choleretic activities [88 91]

26 P rheedii The Muthuvan tribe of Kerala use all partsof this herb as a cure for liver diseases The plant alsoshows hepatoprotective antihyperglycemic antihyperlipi-demic and antioxidant effects [92 93]

27 P tenellus Extracts of fresh and dried plants have antivi-ral and antimicrobial activity [94 95] The callus extractsof this herb have potential analgesic properties against neu-rogenic and inflammatory pain [96] Although this herb isbeneficial for diabetes and treatment of hepatitis urolithiasisand bowel diseases it induces depression spasms increasedrespiratory rate and dyspepsia as shown from experimentson mice [97]

28 P urinaria This herb has multiple uses with manypharmacognostic properties Aqueousmethanolic extract ofwhole plant is used for treating cancer [98ndash100]The ethanolicextract of this herb has anti-inflammatory and antioxidantactivity [31] The acetone extract of the plant has been found

The Scientific World Journal 3

to inhibit herpes simplex virus infection [55 101] The plantparts have been successfully used in treating hypertensionjaundice and diabetes [102] Chloroform and methanolicextract have shown antibacterial activity againstHelicobacterpylori which causes peptic ulcers and gastric cancers [103]SinceH pylori shows resistance to most antibiotics this herbmay be seriously studied for preparation of medicines againstinfections caused by this bacteria

29 P virgatus In China the extract of this herb is fed tochildren suffering from malnutrition due to worm infesta-tionThis herb is used as an antiseptic and anti-inflammatoryagent by the Gond tribe of India [104] The plant extractshows high antioxidant property [105] The lignin virgatusinis found in the plant parts and it inhibits growth of Gram-positive bacteria [61]

Phyllanthus herbs with potential ethnomedicinal proper-ties that have not been scientifically analyzed are as follows

210 P ajmerianus This herb is found in Ajmer in India andits identity has been confirmed by Vishwanatha et al [5]Thisplant has not been assessed for medicinal properties

211 P rotundifolius This species has been analysed alongwith other Phyllanthus herbs for hepatoprotective propertyand it was found that P urinaria and P amarus havecomparatively higher potential than P rotundifolius [106]There are no other reports on its pharmacognostic properties

212 P scabrifolius The occurrence of this herb was reportedin Karnataka India [107] This is an endemic species andscientific evaluation for its economic uses is yet to be doneHowever local people use plantrsquos decoction for treatingchronic gonorrhea and dysentery and as a diuretic The pasteof seeds is used on wounds Leaf paste is used on scabies andelephantitis and roots find its use in treating jaundice

3 Phytochemistry of Phyllanthus Herbs

The major phytochemicals which havemay have a role inrendering the herbs with medicinal properties are listedin Table 1 Out of the 12 herbs reviewed seven species(P amarusP debilis P fraternus P maderaspatensis P tenel-lus P urinaria and P virgatus) have been reported to containone ormore classes of compounds such as lignans flavonoidstannins and alkaloids

Nahar et al [4] have listed the various classes of phyto-chemicals found in Phyllanthus species Of all the Phyllanthusherbs the phytochemistry of P amarus is well studied [62]It has the maximum reports of pharmaceutically impor-tant compounds isolated from aqueous or organic solventextracts The lignans phyllanthin hypophyllanthin niran-thin nirtetralin virgatusin and heliobupthalmin lactone arecommon to P amarus P maderaspatensis P urinaria andP virgatus [8] However according to Khatoon et al [108]phyllanthin is absent in P maderaspatensis Also Sharmaet al [106] have reported the absence of phyllanthin andhypophyllanthin from P maderaspatensis and P urinaria In

P fraternus phyllanthin is absent according to the studies ofKhatoon et al [108] whereas Tripathi et al [26] have reportedthat both phyllanthin and hypophyllanthin are present inP amarus and P fraternus but the concentration of these twolignans varies substantially in the two species Presence ofthe lignan phyltetralin is common to P amarus P fraternusP maderaspatensis P virgatus and P urinaria (Table 1)The lignan hinokinin has been isolated from P amarusP tenellus and P virgatus [10] Flavonoids such as rutinquercitrin quercetin kaempferol and astragalin are presentin both P amarus and P urinaria [14 39] Presence of severalellagitannins such as geraniin corilagin and phyllanthusiinsis also common to P amarus as well as P urinaria (Table 1)

To the best of our knowledge there are no reports of iso-lation of any phytoconstituents from P ajmerianus P kozhik-odianus P rheedii P rotundifolius and P scabrifolius Thesefive herbs can be experimented for isolation and identifica-tion of pharmaceutically important phytochemicals

31 Major Phytochemicals and Associated PharmacologicalActivities The phytochemicals with associated pharmaco-logical activities of six Phyllanthus herbs (P amarus P debilisP fraternus P tenellus P urinaria and P virgatus) are listedin Table 2

The lignan phyllanthin renders hepatoprotective propertyto P amarus [43] However P fraternus P maderaspatensisand P urinaria do not contain phyllanthin [106 108] but arehepatoprotective [106] Therefore phyllanthin being the solecompound contributing to hepatoprotective property needsto be further investigated Srirama et al [109] also pointedout that phyllanthin and hypophyllanthin may not be theonly compounds responsible for this property According toLondhe et al [52] hepatoprotective property of P amarusis attributed to amariin and geraniin (which are ellagitan-nins) whereas phyllanthin and hypophyllanthin have beensuggested to be anti-inflammatory and antiapoptotic [48]

Decalactone isolated from P debilis is shown to possessantihepatotoxic ability [25] The presence of this compoundmay be checked in other herb species which probably canthrow light on potential of other Phyllanthus herbs as anti-hepatotoxic Anticancer andor antitumor properties havebeen related to the presence of phyllanthin hypophyllanthinniranthin and polyphenols in P amarus (Table 2) Of thesethree phytochemicals niranthin is present in P fraternusP maderaspatensis P urinaria P virgatus [8] and P tenellus[10] However niranthin has not been investigated for anti-cancer potential in these herbs

Antibacterial activity has been shown by phyllanthin andvirgatusin in P amarus The lignin virgatusin from P virga-tus also shows antibacterial activity (Table 2) Virgatusin ispresent in P maderaspatensis and P urinaria as well (Table 1)and therefore the potential of this compound from theseherbs can also be assessed for antibacterial activity Antiox-idant activity is shown by rutin quercetin-3-O-glucoside(flavonoids) phyllanthin (lignan) amariin repandusinic acidA corilagin phyllanthusiin A B C geraniin (ellagitannins)methyl brevifolin (coumarin) methyl gallate and trimethyl1-34-dehydrochebulate (triterpenes) (see Table 2) Most of


Table 1 Major phytochemicals isolated from Phyllanthus amarus P debilis P fraternus P maderaspatensis P tenellus P urinaria and Pvirgatus

Species Class Phytochemical References

P amarus

Lignans

Phyllanthin hypophyllanthin [6 7]Niranthin nirtetralin [8 9]Phyltetralin [9]Heliobupthalmin lactone virgatusin

[8]Isonirtetralin lintetralinIsolintetralin demethylenedioxy-niranthin 5-demethoxy-niranthin [7]Hinokinin [10]3-(34-Dimethoxy-benzyl)-4-(7-methoxy benzo[1 3]dioxol-5-yl-methyl)-dihydrofuran-2-one 4-(34-dimethoxy-phenyl)-1-(7-methoxybenzol[1 3]dioxol-5-yl)-23-bis-methoxymethyl-butan-1-ol

[11]

Flavonoids

Rutin [12]Kaempferol quercetin quercitrin [13]Astragalin quercetin-3-O-glucopyranoside [14]Quercetin-3-O-glucoside [12]

Tannins precursors Gallic acid gallocatechin [15 16]Ellagic acid [17]

Tannins

Corilagin [14]Geraniin [10]Amariin furosin [16]Repandusinic acid A [18]Phyllanthusiin A B C and D [18]Geraniinic acid B amariinic acid amarulone isocorilagin elaeocarpusin [15 16]

Alkaloids

Securinine [19 20]Dihydrosecurinine tetrahydrosecurinine [20]Securinol phyllanthin allo-securine [20]Norsecurinine [21]Epibubbialine isobubbialine [22]Phenazine and phenazine derivatives [15]

TriterpenesUrsolic acid oleanolic acid [23]2Z6Z10Z14E18E22E-Farnesyl farnesol [7]Lupeol phyllanthenol phyllanthenone [14]

Volatile oil Linalool phytol [24]P debilis Oxirano-furanocoumarin Decalactone [25]

P fraternusLignans Phyllanthin hypophyllanthin [26 27]

Niranthin nirtetralin phyltetralinAlkamides EE-24-Octadienamide EZ24-decadienamide [28]

P maderaspatensis Lignans Phyllanthin hypophyllanthin niranthin phyltetralin nirtetralinHeliobupthalmin lactone virgatusin [8]

Lipids Linoleic acid linolenic acid myristic acid oleic acid palmitic acid stearic acid [29]

P tenellusLignans Niranthin nirtetralin hinokinin [10]

TanninsPinocembrin-7-O-[410158401015840610158401015840-(S)-hexahydroxydiphenoyl]-120573-D-glucosepinocembrin-7-O-[310158401015840-O-galloyl-410158401015840610158401015840-(S)-hexahydroxydiphenoyl]-120573-D-glucose

[30]


Table 1 Continued


P urinaria

Lignans

Phyllanthin hypophyllanthin niranthin nirtetralin virgatusinheliobupthalmin lactone [8]

Phyltetralin [31]5-Demethoxyniranthin [32]Lintetralin urinatetralin urinaligran dextrobursehernin [33]

Ellagitannin

Geraniin [34]Ellagic acid [35ndash37]Corilagin [36 38]Phyllanthusiin U [36]Gallic acid [35]

Flavonoid Quercitrin rutin astragalin quercetin isoquercitrin kaempferol [39]Rhamnocitrin [31]

Acid Hexacosanoic acid [40]Alkanol Triacontanol [40]Phytallate Phyllester [40]Sterol 120573-Sitosterol daucosterol [35]

Triterpenes 120573-Amyrin lupeol acetate [31 40]Methyl gallate trimethyl 1-34 dehydrochebulate

Coumarin Methyl brevifolin carboxylate [31]

P virgatus

LignansPhyllanthin hypophyllanthin niranthin nirtetralin heliobupthalmin lactonevirgatusin [8]

Hinokinin isolintetralin phyltetralin(+)-8-34-methylenedioxybenzyl-81015840-(3101584041015840-dimethoxybenzyl)-butyrolactone [41]

Tannins Virgatyne virganin norlignan [42]Ellagitannins Geraniin [10]

Flavonoid sulfonates Galanin-8-sulfonate galanin-3-O-beta-D-glucoside-8-sulfonateKaempferol-8-sulfonate [42]

Acid Indole-3-carboxylic acid [41]

the compounds have been investigated in P amarus forantioxidant property Rutin and quercetin are found inP urinaria but have been shown to exhibit antiviral property[31] It may be worthwhile to investigate the role of rutinand quercetin for antioxidant property in P urinaria and forantiviral property in P amarus

In separate studies the antiviral property of P amarushas been attributed to the compounds niranthin nirtetralinhinokinin geraniin and corilagin [10 51] The antiviralactivity in P tenellus and P virgatus is also attributed toniranthin nirtetralin and hinokinin [10] Geraniin is thecommon compound found in P amarus P urinaria and Pvirgatus which shows antiviral property in the three herbs[10 55] Anti-inflammatory activity in P urinaria is attributedto the phytochemicals phyltetralin phyllanthin quercetinrutin rhamnocitrin and 120573-sitosterol [31 59] These com-pounds are found in other Phyllanthus herbs also (Table 1)and therefore the herbs can be assessed for anti-inflammatoryproperty Some of the flavonoids (rutin and quercetin-3-O-glucoside) and ellagitannins (geraniin amariin repandusinicacid corilagin and phyllanthusiin) in P amarus have a role

in radioprotective property (Table 2) Since most of thesecompounds are also present in P urinaria (Table 1) therole of these phytochemicals in contributing radioprotectiveproperty in this herb can be investigated

The alkaloid norsecurinine is associated with antifungalproperty ofP amarus and the compounds120573-sitosterol and120573-amyrin are associated with analgesic property of P urinaria(Table 2) Two alkamides (EE-24-octadienamide and EZ-24-decadienamide) have been isolated from P fraternuswhich contributes to the antiplasmodial property of the herb(Table 2) This is another pharmaceutically very relevantproperty that can be investigated for potential antimalariadrugs

In the six herbs (ie P ajmerianus P kozhikodianusP maderaspatensis P rheedii P rotundifolius and P scabri-folius) to the best of our knowledge there are no studiescorrelating a phytochemicalwith its pharmaceutical propertyThe plant extracts of P kozhikodianus and P rheedii have beenanalysed for pharmacognostic properties and P kozhikodi-anus is shown to be hepatoprotective [87 88] and P rheedii tohave antihyperglycemic antihyperlipidemic and antioxidant


Table 2 Pharmacological effect of major phytochemicals in Phyllanthus amarus P debilis P fraternus P tenellus P urinaria and P virgatus

Species Class Phytoconstituent Pharmacological effect ReferenceP amarus Lignan Phyllanthin Hepatoprotective [43]

Anticancer antitumour [44]Antileukemia [45]Antibacterial [46]Antiamnestic [47]AntiagingAntioxidant [6]Anti-inflammatoryantiapoptotic [48]

Hypophyllanthin Antitumor anticancer [44]Niranthin Antitumor [20]

Antiviral [10]Anti-inflammatory [9]

Phyltetralin Anti-inflammatory [9]Nirtetralin Anti-inflammatory [9]

Antiviral [10]Reverses multidrugresistance [49 50]

Hinokinin Antiviral [10]Flavonoid Rutin Radioprotective [12]

Antioxidant [18]Quercetin-3-O-glucoside Antioxidant [18]

Tannin Geraniin Antiviral [10 51]Radioprotective [12]Hepatoprotective [52]

Amariin Antioxidant [18]Radioprotective [12]Hepatoprotective [52]

Repandusinic acid A Antioxidant [18]Radioprotective [12]

Corilagin Antioxidant [18]Radioprotective [12]Antiviral [51]

Phyllanthusiin A B C D Antioxidant [18]radioprotective [12]

Alkaloid Norsecurinine Antifungal [21]Volatile oil Linalool phytol Antimicrobial [24 53]Polyphenol Anticancer [54]

P fraternus Alkamide EE-24-Octadienamide Antiplasmodial [28]EZ-24-Decadienamide Antiplasmodial [28]

P debilis Oxirano-furanocoumarin Debelalactone Antihepatotoxic [25]P tenellus Lignan Niranthin Antiviral [10]

Nirtetralin Antiviral [10]Hinokinin Antiviral [10]


Table 2 Continued

Species Class Phytoconstituent Pharmacological effect ReferenceP urinaria Lignan Phyltetralin Anti-inflammatory [31]

Phyllanthin Anti-inflammatory [31]Flavonoid Quercetin Anti-inflammatory [31]

Rutin Anti-inflammatory [31]Rhamnocitrin Anti-inflammatory [31]

Coumarin Methylbrevifolin carboxylate Antioxidant [31]Ellagitannin Geraniin Antiviral [55]

Antioxidant [56]Ellagic acid Antiangiogenic [57]

Antiviral [37]Sterol 120573-Sitosterol Analgesic [58]

Anti-inflammatory [59]Triterpene 120573-Amyrin Analgesic [60]

Methyl gallate Antioxidant [31]Trimethyl 1-34 dehydrochebulate Antioxidant [31]

P virgatus Lignan Niranthin Antiviral [10]Nirtetralin Antiviral [10]Hinokinin Antiviral [10]Virgatusin Antibacterial [61]

Ellagitannin Geraniin Antiviral [10]

effects [92 93] However the compounds responsible forthese pharmaceutical properties have not been identifiedP ajmerianus P rotundifolius and P scabrifolius have notbeen researched at all for either phytochemicals or pharma-cological properties

32 Phytochemicals with Multiple Pharmaceutical PropertiesThe lignan phyllanthin has been shown to possess maxi-mum number of medicinal properties such as hepatopro-tective anticancer antiamnestic antiaging antioxidant andanti-inflammatory (Table 2) All these properties (exceptanti-inflammatory which is shown in P urinaria) havebeen assessed in P amarus Another lignan niranthin isshown to have both antitumor and antiviral property Theflavonoids (rutin and quercetin-3-O-glucoside) and ellagi-tannins (geraniin amariin repandusinic acid corilagin andphyllanthusiin) have antioxidant as well as radioprotectiveproperty (Table 2)

4 Studies on Genetic Diversity SpeciesIdentification and Phylogeny

Genetic diversity studies phylogenetics identification of spe-cies and characterization of germplasm are very importantfor appropriate utilization and conservation of plant geneticresources The total number of genetic diversity studies onherbs of Phyllanthus is few compared to pharmacognos-ticpharmacological studies The extent of genetic diversity

has been investigated in P amarus P debilis and P virgatususing RAPD (random amplified polymorphic DNA) andISSR (Intersimple sequence repeats) markers and an aver-age polymorphism of 682 and 697 respectively wasobserved [110] Genetic diversity analysis using RAPDmark-ers within P amarus collected from different geographicallocations in India showed that the accessions from thesouthern part of India have high intrapopulation variation[111]This variationmay be attributed to the cross-pollinationmechanisms in populations and also because they grow asweeds without much anthropogenic intervention [112]

Isozymes also have been used to assess the genetic varia-bility in south Indian populations of P amarus to identifysuperior genotypes for improving drug quality and for for-mulating strategies for in situ conservation and sustainableutilization [113] Ravikant et al [114] have also describedsouthern India to be the genetic hot spot of Phyllanthus sp

The ethnomedicinal uses and pharmacological activitiesamong P amarus P fraternus P debilis and P urinariaare varied but these plant species commonly grow togetherin the same open habitats and wastelands In BangladeshChina India Pakistan and Thailand P amarus P fraternusP debilis and P urinaria grow together and lead to confusionin identification of these herbaceous species Systematic stud-ies on herbaceous Phyllanthus species using morphologicaland anatomical parameters could identify these Phyllanthusherbs [115] Earlier P amarus P fraternus and P debilis weregrouped under the single species named P niruri and werelater mentioned as species of ldquoniruri complexrdquo Now it is


clarified that P niruri is an American species and not at allfound in India Hence the species identified as P niruri isactually P amarus P fraternus andor P debilis [112 116]

The use of molecular markers for identification of Phyl-lanthus species has proved to be a reliable tool Species-specific SCAR (sequence characterized amplified regions)markers were developed for identification of Phyllanthusspecies (P amarus P fraternus P debilis and P urinaria)used in dry leaf bulk trade [117 118] Bandyopadhyay andRaychaudhuri [119] compared RAPD SCAR and AFLP(amplified fragment length polymorphism)markers for iden-tification of five Phyllanthus spp and concluded that AFLPis a better polymorphic marker Senapati et al [120] identi-fied species-specific diagnostic markers for ten Phyllanthusspecies using intersimple sequence repeat-polymerase chainreaction (ISSR-PCR) Srirama et al [121] assessed speciesadmixtures in raw drug trade of Phyllanthus using DNA bar-coding toolsThey analyzed sequence variations of psbA-trnHregion of the chloroplast to identify the Phyllanthus speciespresent in the admixtures AFLP profile along with mor-phological study could confirm the identification of P ajme-rianus Chaudhary and Rao in Ajmer India [5] The studyalso pointed to the distinct characteristic of the taxon andclose relatedness to P kozhikodianus and P rheedii PCR-RFLP approach of ITS (internal transcribed spacers) regionhas been successful in discriminatingP amarusP debilis andP urinaria [122]

Bandyopadhyay and Raychaudhuri [123] sequenced ITSregions of five species of Phyllanthus The ITS sequencesgenerated phylograms which aided in deducing affinitiesamong P emblica P reticulatus P amarus P fraternusand P urinaria Phylogenetic relationships of 23 Phyllanthusspecies of Thailand have been analysed by sequencing ITSregions [122] RAPD and ISSR markers have also been usedto analyse phylogenetic relationship between twelve speciesof Phyllanthus [124]

5 Conclusions and Future Prospects

There are practically no studies on pharmacognostics andidentification andor isolation of pharmaceutically impor-tant compounds in P ajmerianus P rotundifolius and Pscabrifolius Considering the medicinal properties of thePhyllanthus herbs these species should be assessed for phar-macognostics and pharmacological properties In case of Pmaderaspatensis P kozhikodianus and P rheedii althoughpharmacognostic properties are known the compoundsresponsible for such properties have not been identifiedTherefore these herbs can be experimented for isolation andidentification of phytochemicals based on existing knowl-edge of compounds observed in other Phyllanthus herbs andsubsequently can be used for preparation of herbalmedicinesStudies on pharmacognosy and pharmaceutical activity ofphytochemicals published under the identity of P nirurimaybe reevaluated especially the studies from India as now itis confirmed that P niruri is not found in India [112] Thestudies mentioning P niruri actually may be of P amarusP fraternus or P debilis Also to our knowledge there are

either few or no studies on genetic diversity of most Phyllan-thus herb species some of which are endemic species with afew populations for example P scabrifolius in India Consid-ering the growing popularity of ethnopharmacological valueof Phyllanthus species and its use in herbal medicines it isimperative to assess the genetic diversity of these specieswhich will have implications for formulating conservationstrategies in future

Conflict of Interests

The authors declare that there is no conflict of interestsregarding the publication of this paper

Acknowledgment

The funding provided by Department of Science and Tech-nology (DST) Ministry of Science and Technology India isgratefully acknowledged

References

[1] D W Unander G L Webster and B S Blumberg ldquoUsageand bioassays inPhyllanthus (Euphorbiaceae)mdashIV clustering ofantiviral uses and other effectsrdquo Journal of Ethnopharmacologyvol 45 no 1 pp 1ndash18 1995

[2] G L Webster ldquoSynopsis of the genus and suprageneric taxa ofEuphorbiaceaerdquo Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden vol81 pp 33ndash144 1994

[3] J B Calixto A R S Santos V C Filho et al ldquoA review of theplants of the Genus Phyllanthus their chemistry pharmacologyand therapeutic potentialrdquo Medicinal Research Reviews vol 18no 4 pp 225ndash258 1998

[4] L Nahar S D Sarker and A Delazar ldquoPhytochemistry of thegenus Phyllanthusrdquo in Phyllanthus Species Scientific Evaluationand Medicinal Applications R Kuttan and K B HarikumarEds pp 119ndash138 Taylor and Francis Group CRC Press Lon-don UK 2011

[5] V Vishwanatha T N Parameswaran R R Rao et al ldquoReconfir-mation of the identity and occurrence ofPhyllanthus ajmerianusChaudhary amp Rao in Ajmer Rajasthan Indiardquo Current Sciencevol 91 no 1 pp 24ndash26 2006

[6] R Krithika R Mohankumar R J Verma et al ldquoIsolationcharacterization and antioxidative effect of phyllanthin againstCCl4-induced toxicity in HepG2 cell linerdquo Chemico-BiologicalInteractions vol 181 no 3 pp 351ndash358 2009

[7] M A M Maciel A F Cunha N T C Dantas et al ldquoNMRcharacterization of bioactive lignans from Phyllanthus amarusSchum andThonnrdquo Journal ofMagnetic Resonance Imaging vol6 no 3 pp 76ndash82 2007

[8] K Shanker M Singh V Srivastava R Verma A Gupta andMGupta ldquoSimultaneous analysis of six bioactive lignans in Phyl-lanthus species by reversed phase hyphenated high performanceliquid chromatographic techniquerdquo Acta Chromatographicavol 23 no 2 pp 321ndash337 2011

[9] C A L Kassuya D F P Leite L V De Melo V L C Rehderand J B Calixto ldquoAnti-inflammatory properties of extractsfractions and lignans isolated from Phyllanthus amarusrdquo PlantaMedica vol 71 no 8 pp 721ndash726 2005


[10] R-L Huang Y-L Huang J-C Ou C-C Chen F-L Hsuand C Chang ldquoScreening of 25 compounds isolated fromPhyllanthus species for anti-human hepatitis B virus in vitrordquoPhytotherapy Research vol 17 no 5 pp 449ndash453 2003

[11] M Singh N Tiwari K Shanker R K Verma A K GuptaandMM Gupta ldquoTwo new lignans from Phyllanthus amarusrdquoJournal of Asian Natural Products Research vol 11 no 6 pp562ndash568 2009

[12] J S Londhe T P A Devasagayam L Y Foo and S SGhaskadbi ldquoRadioprotective properties of polyphenols fromPhyllanthus amarusLinnrdquo Journal of RadiationResearch vol 50no 4 pp 303ndash309 2009

[13] S P Thyagarajan and S Jayaram ldquoNatural History of Phyl-lanthus amarus in treatment of hepatitis Brdquo Indian Journal ofMedical Microbiology vol 10 no 2 pp 64ndash80 1992

[14] L Yeap Foo and H Wong ldquoPhyllanthusiin D an unusualhydrolysable tannin from Phyllanthus amarusrdquo Phytochemistryvol 31 no 2 pp 711ndash713 1992

[15] L Y Foo ldquoAmarulone a novel cyclic hydrolysable tannin fromPhyllanthus amarusrdquo Natural Product Letters vol 3 no 1 pp45ndash52 1993

[16] L Y Foo ldquoAmariinic acid and related ellagitannins fromPhyllanthus amarusrdquo Phytochemistry vol 39 no 1 pp 217ndash2241995

[17] K Dhalwal Y S Biradar and M Rajani ldquoHigh-performancethin-layer chromatography densitometric method for simul-taneous quantitation of phyllanthin hypophyllanthin gallicacid and ellagic acid in Phyllanthus amarusrdquo Journal of AOACInternational vol 89 no 3 pp 619ndash623 2006

[18] J S Londhe T P A Devasagayam L Y Foo and S SGhaskadbi ldquoAntioxidant activity of some polyphenol con-stituents of the medicinal plant Phyllanthus amarus LinnrdquoRedox Report vol 13 no 5 pp 199ndash207 2008

[19] A K Singh M B Pandey S Singh et al ldquoAntifungal activity ofsecurinine against some plant pathogenic fungirdquo Mycobiologyvol 36 no 2 pp 99ndash101 2008

[20] C A L Kassuya A Silvestre O Menezes-de-Lima Jr D MMarotta V L G Rehder and J B Calixto ldquoAntiinflammatoryand antiallodynic actions of the lignan niranthin isolated fromPhyllanthus amarus Evidence for interaction with plateletactivating factor receptorrdquo European Journal of Pharmacologyvol 546 no 1ndash3 pp 182ndash188 2006

[21] S Sahni S Maurya and U P Singh ldquoAntifungal activity of nor-securinine against some phytopathogenic fungirdquo Mycobiologyvol 33 no 2 pp 97ndash103 2005

[22] P J Houghton T Z Woldemariam S OrsquoShea and S PThyagarajan ldquoTwo securinega-type alkaloids from Phyllanthusamarusrdquo Phytochemistry vol 43 no 3 pp 715ndash717 1996

[23] H Ali P J Houghton and A Soumyanath ldquo120572-Amylaseinhibitory activity of some Malaysian plants used to treatdiabetes with particular reference to Phyllanthus amarusrdquoJournal of Ethnopharmacology vol 107 no 3 pp 449ndash455 2006

[24] D O Moronkola I A Ogunwande I O Oyewole K HusnuCan Baser T Ozek and G Ozek ldquoStudies on the volatile oilsof momordica charantia L (Cucurbitaceae) and Phyllanthusamarus Seh etThonn (Euphorbiaceae)rdquo Journal of Essential OilResearch vol 21 no 5 pp 393ndash399 2009

[25] B Ahmed S Khan and A Verma ldquoAntihepatotoxic activityof debelalactone a new oxirano-furanocoumarin from Phyllan-thus debilisrdquo Journal of Asian Natural Products Research vol 11no 8 pp 687ndash692 2009

[26] A K Tripathi R K Verma A K Gupta M M Gupta and SP S Khanuja ldquoQuantitative determination of phyllanthin andhypophyllanthin in Phyllanthus species by high-performancethin layer chromatographyrdquo Phytochemical Analysis vol 17 no6 pp 394ndash397 2006

[27] T Sebastian and O H Setty ldquoProtective effect of P fraternusAgainst ethanol-induced mitochondrial dysfunctionrdquo Alcoholvol 17 no 1 pp 29ndash34 1999

[28] A A Sittie E Lemmich and C E Olsen ldquoAlkamides fromPhyllanthus fraternusrdquo PlantaMedica vol 64 no 2 pp 192ndash1931998

[29] D S Bhakuni ldquoChemical examination of the seed of Phyllan-thus maderaspatensis Linnrdquo Journal of Scientific and IndustrialResearch B vol 18 pp 446ndash447 1959

[30] Y-L Huang C-C Chen F-L Hsu and C-F Chen ldquoTwotannins from Phyllanthus tenellusrdquo Journal of Natural Productsvol 61 no 4 pp 523ndash524 1998

[31] S-H Fang Y K Rao and Y-M Tzeng ldquoAnti-oxidant andinflammatory mediatorrsquos growth inhibitory effects of com-pounds isolated from Phyllanthus urinariardquo Journal of Ethno-pharmacology vol 116 no 2 pp 333ndash340 2008

[32] C-C Chang Y-C Lien K C S C Liu and S-S Lee ldquoLignansfrom Phyllanthus urinariardquo Phytochemistry vol 63 no 7 pp825ndash833 2003

[33] C-YWang and S-S Lee ldquoAnalysis and identification of lignansin Phyllanthus urinaria by HPLC-SPE-NMRrdquo PhytochemicalAnalysis vol 16 no 2 pp 120ndash126 2005

[34] T Okuda K Mori and T Hatano ldquoThe distribution of geraniinand mallotusinic acid in the order geranialesrdquo Phytochemistryvol 19 no 4 pp 547ndash551 1980

[35] Q Q Yao and C X Zuo ldquoChemical studies on the constituentsof Phyllanthus urinaria Lrdquo Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica vol 28no 11 pp 829ndash835 1993

[36] H Luo L Chen Z Li Z Ding and X Xu ldquoFrontal immuno-affinity chromatography with mass spectrometric detection amethod for finding active compounds from traditional Chineseherbsrdquo Analytical Chemistry vol 75 no 16 pp 3994ndash39982003

[37] M S Shin E H Kang and Y I Lee ldquoA flavonoid frommedicinal plants blocks hepatitis B virus-e antigen secretion inHBV-infected hepatocytesrdquoAntiviral Research vol 67 no 3 pp163ndash168 2005

[38] L Jikai H Yue T Henkel and KWeber ldquoOne step purificationof corilagin and ellagic acid from Phyllanthus urinaria usinghigh-speed countercurrent chromatographyrdquo PhytochemicalAnalysis vol 13 no 1 pp 1ndash3 2002

[39] T K Nara J Glyeye E L Cerval et al ldquoFlavonoids of Phyl-lanthus niruri Phyllanthus urinaria Phyllanthus orbiculatusrdquoPlantes Medicinales et Phytotherapie vol 11 pp 82ndash86 1977

[40] K S Satyan A Prakash R P Singh and R S SrivastavaldquoPhthalic acid bis-ester and other phytoconstituents of Phyllan-thus urinariardquo Planta Medica vol 61 no 3 pp 293ndash294 1995

[41] Y-L Huang C-C Chen F-L Hsu and C-F Chen ldquoA newlignan from Phyllanthus virgatusrdquo Journal of Natural Productsvol 59 no 5 pp 520ndash521 1996

[42] Y-L Huang C-C Chen F-L Hsu and C-F Chen ldquoTanninsflavonol sulfonates and a norlignan from Phyllanthus virgatusrdquoJournal of Natural Products vol 61 no 10 pp 1194ndash1197 1998

[43] H Chirdchupunseree and P Pramyothin ldquoProtective activity ofphyllanthin in ethanol-treated primary culture of rat hepato-cytesrdquo Journal of Ethnopharmacology vol 128 no 1 pp 172ndash1762010


[44] A Islam T Selvan U K Mazumder M Gupta and S GhosalldquoAntitumour effect of Phyllanthin and Hypophyllanthin fromPhyllanthus amarus against EhrlichAscites Carcinoma inmicerdquoPharmacologyonline vol 2 pp 796ndash807 2008

[45] K B Harikumar G Kuttan and R Kuttan ldquoInhibition ofviral carcinogenesis by Phyllanthus amarusrdquo Integrative CancerTherapies vol 8 no 3 pp 254ndash260 2009

[46] A Mazumder A Mahato and R Mazumder ldquoAntimicro-bial potentiality of Phyllanthus amarus against drug resistantpathogensrdquo Natural Product Research vol 20 no 4 pp 323ndash326 2006

[47] H Joshi andM Parle ldquoEvaluation of antiamnestic potentials of[6]-gingerol and phyllanthin in micerdquo Natural Products vol 2pp 109ndash117 2006

[48] A D Kandhare P Ghosh A E Ghule et al ldquoProtective effect ofPhyllanthus amarus by modulation of endogenous biomarkersand DNA damage in acetic acid induced ulcerative colitis roleof phyllanthin and hypophyllanthinrdquo Apollo Medicine vol 10no 1 pp 87ndash97 2013

[49] D F P Leite C A L Kassuya T L Mazzuco et al ldquoThecytotoxic effect and the multidrug resistance reversing actionof lignans from Phyllanthus amarusrdquo Planta Medica vol 72 no15 pp 1353ndash1358 2006

[50] HDhir A KumarRoyA Sharma andG Talukder ldquoProtectionafforded by aqueous extracts of Phyllanthus species againstcytotoxicity induced by lead and aluminium saltsrdquoPhytotherapyResearch vol 4 no 5 pp 172ndash176 1990

[51] F Notka G Meier and R Wagner ldquoConcerted inhibitoryactivities of Phyllanthus amarus onHIV replication in vitro andex vivordquo Antiviral Research vol 64 no 2 pp 93ndash102 2004

[52] J S Londhe T P ADevasagayam L Y Foo et al ldquoGeraniin andamariin ellagitannins from Phyllanthus amarus protect livercells against ethanol induced cytotoxicityrdquo Fitoterapia vol 83no 8 pp 1562ndash1568 2012

[53] M Ogunlesi W Okiei E A S Osibote and C MuotohldquoAntimicrobial activity of the essential oil and the fractionalsamples obtained from the leaves and seeds of Phyllanthusatnarus (Euphorbiaceae)rdquo Research Journal of Phytochemistryvol 3 no 4 pp 77ndash84 2009

[54] S H Lee I B Jaganath S M Wang and S D SekaranldquoAntimetastatic effects of Phyllanthus on human lung (A549)and breast (MCF-7) cancer cell linesrdquo PLoS ONE vol 6 no 6article e20994 2011

[55] C-M Yang H-Y Cheng T-C Lin L-C Chiang and C-CLin ldquoThe in vitro activity of geraniin and 1346-tetra-O-galloyl-120573-d-glucose isolated from Phyllanthus urinaria againstherpes simplex virus type 1 and type 2 infectionrdquo Journal ofEthnopharmacology vol 110 no 3 pp 555ndash558 2007

[56] S-Y Lin C-C Wang Y-L Lu W-C Wu and W-C HouldquoAntioxidant anti-semicarbazide-sensitive amine oxidase andanti-hypertensive activities of geraniin isolated from Phyllan-thus urinariardquo Food and Chemical Toxicology vol 46 no 7 pp2485ndash2492 2008

[57] S-T Huang C-Y Wang R-C Yang et al ldquoEllagic acid theactive compound of Phyllanthus urinaria exerts in vivo anti-angiogenic effect and inhibits MMP-2 activityrdquo Evidence-BasedComplementary and Alternative Medicine vol 2011 Article ID215035 10 pages 2011

[58] S S Handa A S Chawla and A K Sharma ldquoPlants withantiinflammatory activityrdquo Fitoterapia vol 63 no 1 pp 3ndash311992

[59] A R S Santos V C Filho R A Yunes and J B CalixtoldquoAnalysis of the mechanisms underlying the antinociceptiveeffect of the extracts of plants from the genus PhyllanthusrdquoGeneral Pharmacology vol 26 no 7 pp 1499ndash1506 1995

[60] M C Recio R M Giner S Manez and J L Rios ldquoStructuralrequirements for the anti-inflammatory activity of naturaltriterpenoidsrdquo Planta Medica vol 61 no 2 pp 182ndash185 1995

[61] M Maruyama S Yamauchi K Akiyama T Sugahara TKishida and Y Koba ldquoAntibacterial activity of a virgatusin-related compoundrdquo Bioscience Biotechnology and Biochemistryvol 71 no 3 pp 677ndash680 2007

[62] J R Patel P Tripathi V Sharma N S Chauhan andV K DixitldquoPhyllanthus amarus ethnomedicinal uses phytochemistry andpharmacology a reviewrdquo Journal of Ethnopharmacology vol138 no 2 pp 286ndash313 2011

[63] C P Kala P P Dhyani and B S Sajwan ldquoDeveloping themedicinal plants sector in northern India challenges andopportunitiesrdquo Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine vol2 article 32 2006

[64] P S Udayan K V Tushar S George et al ldquoEthnomedicinalinformation fron Kattunayakas tribes of Mudumalai WildlifeSanctuary Nilgiris district Tamil Nadurdquo Indian Journal ofTraditional Knowledge vol 6 pp 574ndash578 2007

[65] R P Samy PN Pushparaj and P AGopikrishnakone ldquoCompi-lation of bioactive compounds fromAyurvedardquo Bioinformationvol 3 no 3 pp 100ndash110 2008

[66] K Chenniappan and M Kadarkarai ldquoIn vitro antimalarialactivity of traditionally used Western Ghats plants from Indiaand their interactions with chloroquine against chloroquine-resistant Plasmodium falciparumrdquo Parasitology Research vol107 no 6 pp 1351ndash1364 2010

[67] B Upadhyay P Parveen A K Dhaker and A Kumar ldquoEth-nomedicinal and ethnopharmaco-statistical studies of EasternRajasthan Indiardquo Journal of Ethnopharmacology vol 129 no 1pp 64ndash86 2010

[68] A Jain S S Katewa P K Galav and P Sharma ldquoMedicinalplant diversity of Sitamata wildlife sanctuary Rajasthan IndiardquoJournal of Ethnopharmacology vol 102 no 2 pp 143ndash157 2005

[69] P Mahishi B H Srinivasa and M B Shivanna ldquoMedicinalplant wealth of local communities in some villages in ShimogaDistrict ofKarnataka Indiardquo Journal of Ethnopharmacology vol98 no 3 pp 307ndash312 2005

[70] CMuthuM Ayyanar N Raja and S Ignacimuthu ldquoMedicinalplants used by traditional healers in Kancheepuram District ofTamil Nadu Indiardquo Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicinevol 2 article 43 2006

[71] S Ignacimuthu M Ayyanar and K Sankarasivaraman ldquoEth-nobotanical study of medicinal plants used by Paliyar tribals inTheni district of Tamil Nadu Indiardquo Fitoterapia vol 79 no 7-8pp 562ndash568 2008

[72] S Shanmugam K Maniknandan and K Rajendran ldquoEth-nomedicinal survey of medicinal plants used for the treatmentof diabetes and jaundice among the villagers of SivagangaiDistrict Tamil Nadurdquo Ethnobotanical Leaflets vol 13 no 1 pp189ndash194 2009

[73] N Rajakumar and M B Shivanna ldquoEthno-medicinal appli-cation of plants in the eastern region of Shimoga districtKarnataka Indiardquo Journal of Ethnopharmacology vol 126 no1 pp 64ndash73 2009

[74] J K Samuel and B Andrews ldquoTraditional medicinal plantwealth of Pachalur and Periyur hamlets Dindigul district Tamil


Nadurdquo Indian Journal of Traditional Knowledge vol 9 no 2 pp264ndash270 2010

[75] K B Hari Kumar and R Kuttan ldquoInhibition of drug metab-olizing enzymes (cytochrome P450) in vitro as well as invivo by Phyllanthus amarus Schum amp Thonnrdquo Biological andPharmaceutical Bulletin vol 29 no 7 pp 1310ndash1313 2006

[76] K S Chandrashekar A B Joshi D Satyanarayana and PPai ldquoAnalgesic and anti-inflammatory activities of Phyllanthusdebilis whole plantrdquo Pharmaceutical Biology vol 43 no 7 pp586ndash588 2005

[77] V Acharya V Sharma P K Patra et al ldquoPlants used by KamarGond and Halba tribe of Dhamtari district of Chhattisgarhfor relief of sickle cell diseaserdquo Recent Research in Science andTechnology vol 4 no 3 pp 1ndash3 2012

[78] K K Wanniarachchi L D C Peiris and W D RatnasooriyaldquoAntihyperglycemic and hypoglycemic activities of Phyllanthusdebilis aqueous plant extract in micerdquo Pharmaceutical Biologyvol 47 no 3 pp 260ndash265 2009

[79] A Kumaran and R Joel Karunakaran ldquoIn vitro antioxidantactivities of methanol extracts of five Phyllanthus species fromIndiardquo LWTmdashFood Science and Technology vol 40 no 2 pp344ndash352 2007

[80] J L Nishiura A H Campos M A Boim I P Heilberg and NSchor ldquoPhyllanthus niruri normalizes elevated urinary calciumlevels in calcium stone forming (CSF) patientsrdquo UrologicalResearch vol 32 no 5 pp 362ndash366 2004

[81] S Chanda M Kaneria and Y K Vaghasiya ldquoEvaluation ofantimicrobial potential of some Indianmedicinal plants againstsome pathogenic microbesrdquo Indian Journal of Natural Productsand Resources vol 2 no 2 pp 225ndash228 2011

[82] R Sailaja and O H Setty ldquoProtective effect of Phyllanthusfraternus against allyl alcohol-induced oxidative stress in livermitochondriardquo Journal of Ethnopharmacology vol 105 no 1-2pp 201ndash209 2006

[83] S Gopi and O H Setty ldquoProtective effect of Phyllanthus frater-nus against bromobenzene induced mitochondrial dysfunctionin rat liver mitochondriardquo Food and Chemical Toxicology vol48 no 8-9 pp 2170ndash2175 2010

[84] K K Kumari and O H Setty ldquoProtective effect of Phyllanthusfraternus against mitochondrial dysfunction induced by co-administration of cisplatin and cyclophosphamiderdquo Journal ofBioenergetics andBiomembranes vol 44 no 1 pp 179ndash188 2012

[85] G A Koffuor and P Amoateng ldquoAntioxidant and anticoagu-lant properties of Phyllanthus fraternus GL Webster (FamilyEuphorbiaceae)rdquo Journal of Pharmacology and Toxicology vol6 no 7 pp 624ndash636 2011

[86] V I Hukeri G A Kalyani and H K Kakrani ldquoHypoglycemicactivity of flavonoids of Phyllanthus fraternus in ratsrdquo Fitoter-apia vol 59 no 1 pp 68ndash70 1988

[87] S P Thyagarajan S Jayaram V Gopalakrishnan R Hari PJeyakumar and M S Sripathi ldquoHerbal medicines for liverdiseases in Indiardquo Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatologyvol 17 no 3 pp S370ndashS376 2002

[88] V V Asha and P Pushpangadan ldquoPreliminary evaluation ofthe antihepatotoxic activity of Phyllanthus kozhikodianus Pmaderaspatensis and Solanum indicumrdquo Fitoterapia vol 69 no3 pp 255ndash259 1998

[89] M J N Chandrasekar P Bommu M J Nanjan and B SureshldquoChemoprotective effect of Phyllanthus maderaspatensis inmodulating cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity and genotoxicityrdquoPharmaceutical Biology vol 44 no 2 pp 100ndash106 2006

[90] P Bommu C M J Nanjan N M Joghee S M Nataraj and SBhojraj ldquoPhyllanthus maderaspatensis a dietary supplement forthe amelioration of adriamycin-induced toxicity and oxidativestress in micerdquo Journal of Natural Medicines vol 62 no 2 pp149ndash154 2008

[91] V V Asha S Akhila P J Wills and A SubramoniamldquoFurther studies on the antihepatotoxic activity of Phyllanthusmaderaspatensis Linnrdquo Journal of Ethnopharmacology vol 92no 1 pp 67ndash70 2004

[92] V Sivajothi A Dey B Jayakar and B Rajkapoor ldquoAnti-hyperglycemic antihyperlipidemic and antioxidant effect ofPhyllanthus rheedii on streptozotocin induced diabetic ratsrdquoIranian Journal of Pharmaceutical Research vol 7 no 1 pp 53ndash59 2008

[93] V Suresh and V V Asha ldquoPreventive effect of ethanol extract ofPhyllanthus rheediiWight on d-galactosamine induced hepaticdamage in Wistar ratsrdquo Journal of Ethnopharmacology vol 116no 3 pp 447ndash453 2008

[94] S R N Ignacio J L P Ferreira M B Almeida and CF Kubelka ldquoNitric oxide production by murine peritonealmacrophages in vitro and in vivo treated with Phyllanthustenellus extractsrdquo Journal of Ethnopharmacology vol 74 no 2pp 181ndash187 2001

[95] D F Oliveira A C Pereira H C P Figueiredo et al ldquoAntibac-terial activity of plant extracts from Brazilian southeast regionrdquoFitoterapia vol 78 no 2 pp 142ndash145 2007

[96] A R S Santos V C Filho R Niero et al ldquoAnalgesic effectsof callus culture extracts from selected species of Phyllanthus inmicerdquo Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology vol 46 no 9 pp755ndash759 1994

[97] T C D L Silva F J Veras I A Souza et al ldquoAcute toxicitystudy of stone-breaker (Phyllanthus tenellus Roxb)rdquo Revista deCiencias Farmaceuticas Basica e Aplicada vol 33 no 2 pp 205ndash210 2012

[98] S-T Huang R-C Yang and J-H S Pang ldquoAqueous extract ofPhyllanthus urinaria induces apoptosis in human cancer cellsrdquoAmerican Journal of ChineseMedicine vol 32 no 2 pp 175ndash1832004

[99] S-T Huang J-H S Pang and R-C Yang ldquoAnti-cancer effectsof Phyllanthus urinaria and relevant mechanismsrdquo Chang GungMedical Journal vol 33 no 5 pp 477ndash487 2010

[100] Y-Q Tang I B Jaganath and S D Sekaran ldquoPhyllanthus sppinduces selective growth inhibition of PC-3 and MeWo humancancer cells through modulation of cell cycle and induction ofapoptosisrdquo PloS ONE vol 5 no 9 article e12644 2010

[101] M Zhong Y Xiang X Qiu et al ldquoNatural products as a sourceof anti-herpes simplex virus agentsrdquo RSC Advances vol 3 no2 pp 313ndash328 2013

[102] C A Lans ldquoEthnomedicines used in Trinidad and Tobago forurinary problems and diabetes mellitusrdquo Journal of Ethnobiol-ogy and Ethnomedicine vol 2 article 45 2006

[103] C-H Lai S-H Fang Y K Rao et al ldquoInhibition of Heli-cobacter pylori-induced inflammation in human gastric epithe-lial AGS cells by Phyllanthus urinaria extractsrdquo Journal ofEthnopharmacology vol 118 no 3 pp 522ndash526 2008

[104] V J Tiwari and M D Padhye ldquoEthnobotanical study of Gondtribe of Chandrapur and Gadchiroli districts of MaharashtraState Indiardquo Fitoterapia vol 64 no 1 pp 58ndash61 1993

[105] K Poompachee and N Chudapongse ldquoComparison of theantioxidant and cytotoxic activities of Phyllanthus virgatus andPhyllanthus amarus extractsrdquo Medical Principles and Practicevol 21 no 1 pp 24ndash29 2012


[106] S K Sharma S M Arogya D H Bhaskarmurthy A Agarwaland C C Velusami ldquoHepatoprotective activity of the Phyl-lanthus species on tert-butyl hydroperoxide (t-BH)-inducedcytotoxicity in HepG2 cellsrdquo Pharmacognosy Magazine vol 7no 27 pp 229ndash233 2011

[107] R Murugan R R Rao and V Vishwanatha ldquoOccurrence ofPhyllanthus scabrifolius Hook f in Amingad Bagalkot districtKarnatakamdasha new distributional recordrdquo Current Science vol91 no 7 pp 870ndash871 2006

[108] S Khatoon V Rai A K S Rawat and S Mehrotra ldquoCom-parative pharmacognostic studies of three Phyllanthus speciesrdquoJournal of Ethnopharmacology vol 104 no 1-2 pp 79ndash86 2006

[109] R Srirama H B Deepak U Senthilkumar et al ldquoHepatopro-tective activity of Indian Phyllanthusrdquo Pharmaceutical Biologyvol 50 no 8 pp 948ndash953 2012

[110] M Palaniappan and M Marappa ldquoRAPD and ISSR analysesreveal low levels of genetic diversity in Phyllanthus amarusrdquoin Proceedings of the 27th International Horticultural Congress-IHC International Symposium on Plants as Food and MedicineThe Utilization and Development of Horticultural Plants forHuman Health ISHS Acta Horticulture 765 2006

[111] N Jain A K Shasany V Sundaresan et al ldquoMolecular diversityin Phyllanthus amarus assessed through RAPD analysisrdquo Cur-rent Science vol 85 no 10 pp 1454ndash1458 2003

[112] R L Mitra and S K Jain ldquoConcept of Phyllanthus niruri(Euphorbiaceae) in Indian florasrdquo Bulletin of the BotanicalSurvey of India vol 27 no 1ndash4 pp 161ndash176 1985

[113] B S Geetha K K Sabu and S Seeni ldquoGenetic variationin South India populations of Phyllanthus amarus Schum ampThonn (Euphorbiaceae) assessed using isozymesrdquo in Proceed-ings of the 15th Kerala Science Congress pp 196ndash201 2003

[114] G Ravikant R Srirama U Senthilkumar et al ldquoGeneticresources of Phyllanthus in Southern India identification ofgeographic and genetic hot spots and its implication forconservationrdquo in Phyllanthus Species Scientific Evaluation andMedicinal Applications R Kuttan and K B Harikumar Edspp 97ndash118 Taylor and Francis Group CRC Press London UK2011

[115] D Kandavel S K Rani M G Vinithra et al ldquoSystematicstudies in herbaceous Phyllanthus spp (region Tiruchirappallidistrict in India) and a simple key to authenticate lsquoBhumya-malakirsquocomplexmembersrdquo Journal of Phytology vol 3 no 2 pp37ndash48 2011

[116] G LWebster ldquoAmonographic study of theWest Indian speciesof Phyllanthusrdquo Journal of the Arnold Arboretum vol 38 pp295ndash373 1957

[117] N Jain A K Shasany S Singh S P S Khanuja and SKumar ldquoSCARmarkers for correct identification of Phyllanthusamarus P fraternus P debilis and P urinaria used in scientificinvestigations and dry leaf bulk herb traderdquo Planta Medica vol74 no 3 pp 296ndash301 2008

[118] PTheerakulpisut N Kanawapee DMaensiri S Bunnag and PChantaranothai ldquoDevelopment of species-specific SCARmark-ers for identification of three medicinal species of PhyllanthusrdquoJournal of Systematics and Evolution vol 46 no 4 pp 614ndash6212008

[119] S Bandyopadhyay and S S Raychaudhuri ldquoDevelopment andcomparison of RAPD SCAR and AFLP markers for distin-guishing some medicinally important species of the genusPhyllanthusrdquo Plant Biosystems vol 147 no 1 pp 12ndash20 2013

[120] S K Senapati S Aparajita and G R Rout ldquoIdentification ofspecies-diagnostic inter simple sequence repeat markers for ten

Phyllanthus speciesrdquo Zeitschrift fur Naturforschung C vol 66no 3-4 pp 167ndash172 2011

[121] R Srirama U Senthilkumar N Sreejayan et al ldquoAssessingspecies admixtures in raw drug trade of Phyllanthus a hepato-protective plant using molecular toolsrdquo Journal of Ethnophar-macology vol 130 no 2 pp 208ndash215 2010

[122] J Manissorn S Sukrong N Ruangrungsi and H MizukamildquoMolecular phylogenetic analysis of Phyllanthus species inThailand and the application of polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism for Phyllanthusamarus identificationrdquo Biological and Pharmaceutical Bulletinvol 33 no 10 pp 1723ndash1727 2010

[123] S Bandyopadhyay and S S Raychaudhuri ldquoDevelopment ofITS based SCAR markers for some medicinally importantspecies of Phyllanthusrdquo Asian Journal of Plant Sciences vol 9no 5 pp 264ndash270 2010

[124] G R Rout S K Senapati and S Aparajita ldquoStudy of relation-ships among twelve Phyllanthus species with the use of molecu-lar markersrdquo Czech Journal of Genetics and Plant Breeding vol46 no 3 pp 135ndash141 2010

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part of Ayurveda an Indian system of medicine Consideringthe importance and potential of these herbs it is naturalthat most of the studies are directed towards the phytochem-ical analysis and pharmacognostics (references detailed inTables 1 and 2) However for appropriate utilization of theherbs for ethnopharmacological investigations and prepa-ration of herbal medicines the correct identification ofPhyllanthus species is very important Also with the growingutilization of these herbs in pharmaceutical industries therisk of loss of genetic diversity existsThere are comparativelya lesser number of reports focusing on molecular taxonomyfor identification of species and interspecificintraspecificgenetic diversity studies

Keeping this present scenario in view 12 important Phyl-lanthus herbs (P ajmerianus P amarus P debilis P fraternusP kozhikodianus P maderaspatensis P rheedii P rotundi-folius P scabrifolius P tenellus P urinaria and P virgatus)are reviewed with the following objectives (i) to assess andhence direct efforts towards further studies on phytochem-istry and pharmacognostics of the important herbs (ii) tofocus on the need to initiate studies of underresearched butpotentially important medicinal herbs and (iii) to assess theexisting studies on identification of species genetic diversityand phylogeny which will have an impact on formulatingconservation strategies in future The detailed assessment ofclinical studies pertaining to the Phyllanthus herbs has notbeen elaborated in the present review

2 Pharmacognosy of Phyllanthus Herbs

Of the 12 Phyllanthus herb species nine species (P amarusP debilis P fraternus P kozhikodianus P maderaspatensisP rheedii P tenellus P urinaria and P virgatus) have beenscientifically analyzed whereas the remaining three species(P ajmerianus P rotundifolius and P scabrifolius) havenot been investigated for their medicinal properties Thepharmacognostics of each of the nine herbs is discussed here

21 P amarus This herb finds its use worldwide for treatingproblems of stomach genitourinary system liver kidney andspleen It plays an important role in Ayurveda an Indiansystem ofmedicine and is used to treat jaundice gastropathydiarrhoea dysentery fevers menorrhagia scabies genitalinfections ulcers and wounds [62] Decoctions of wholeplants are used for treating migraine jaundice [63ndash65]gonorrhea and syphilis skin disease and malaria [66 67]Paste of leaves or its decoction [68ndash72] and juice of roots [73]are used for treating jaundice Chronic dysentery menstrualproblems anorexia urinary tract infection and diabetes arealso treated by leaf extract taken orally [65 69 72 74]Extracts of the plant can prevent mutation of cells in thepresence of chemical agents [75]

22 P debilis This herb shows antihepatotoxic [25] andanti-inflammatory [76] properties Leaf juice is taken orallyby the Kamar Gond and Halba tribes of Chattisgarh inIndia for relief of problems related to sickle-cell anemia [77]The aqueous extract of the plant shows antihyperglycemic

property [78] P debilis has been shown to possess maximumantioxidant activity compared to P amarus P maderaspaten-sis P urinaria and P virgatus [79]

23 P fraternus Traditionally in India the herb was used asa mild laxative to expel worms and intestinal gas The plantextracts are used for treating many types of biliary and uri-nary conditions like gall bladder kidney stones and bacterialinfections such as cystitis prostatitis viral infections hepati-tis flu tuberculosis liver diseases anemia veneral diseasesand urinary tract infections [80] The antimicrobial propertyof P fraternus has been reported by Chanda et al [81]The aqueous extract of the plant shows antioxidant property[82] and has protective effect against bromobenzene inducedmitochondrial dysfunction [83] Also the extract can reducetoxicity of drugs such as cisplatin and cyclophosphamideand therefore can be used to raise the therapeutic potentialof anticancer drugs [84] Ethanolic extract of the herbhas antioxidant and anticoagulant property in experimentalmodels [85] According to Hukeri et al [86] the flavonoidspresent in the herb show hypoglycemic effect in rats

24 P kozhikodianus This herb provides protection to liveragainst chemical induced liver damage [87] The herb wasscreened for hepatoprotective activity against liver damageinduced by paracetamol in rats Histological examination ofliver confirmed hepatoprotective and antihepatotoxic prop-erties [88]

25 P maderaspatensis Ethanolic extract of this herb dem-onstrated chemoprotective effect in modulating cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity and genotoxicity thus proving itsantioxidative property [89] This extract is also taken as apopular dietary supplement in the southern part of India Ithas been experimented as an ameliorative for adriamycin-induced toxicity and oxidative stress in mice [90] Wholeplant extracts have shown antihepatotoxic hepatoprotectiveand choleretic activities [88 91]

26 P rheedii The Muthuvan tribe of Kerala use all partsof this herb as a cure for liver diseases The plant alsoshows hepatoprotective antihyperglycemic antihyperlipi-demic and antioxidant effects [92 93]

27 P tenellus Extracts of fresh and dried plants have antivi-ral and antimicrobial activity [94 95] The callus extractsof this herb have potential analgesic properties against neu-rogenic and inflammatory pain [96] Although this herb isbeneficial for diabetes and treatment of hepatitis urolithiasisand bowel diseases it induces depression spasms increasedrespiratory rate and dyspepsia as shown from experimentson mice [97]

28 P urinaria This herb has multiple uses with manypharmacognostic properties Aqueousmethanolic extract ofwhole plant is used for treating cancer [98ndash100]The ethanolicextract of this herb has anti-inflammatory and antioxidantactivity [31] The acetone extract of the plant has been found




















P amarus

Lignans



[11]

Flavonoids



Tannins


Alkaloids










[30]


Table 1 Continued


P urinaria

Lignans



Ellagitannin






P virgatus































Table 2 Continued



























Acknowledgment


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P amarus

Lignans



[11]

Flavonoids



Tannins


Alkaloids










[30]


Table 1 Continued


P urinaria

Lignans



Ellagitannin






P virgatus































Table 2 Continued



























Acknowledgment


References










































































































































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Table 1 Continued


P urinaria

Lignans



Ellagitannin






P virgatus































Table 2 Continued



























Acknowledgment


References










































































































































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Advances in

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Table 2 Continued



























Acknowledgment


References










































































































































Volume 2014

Zoology






















Advances in

Virolog y



Volume 2014




Enzyme Research



Microbiology










Acknowledgment


References










































































































































Volume 2014

Zoology






















Advances in

Virolog y



Volume 2014




Enzyme Research



Microbiology

































































































































Volume 2014

Zoology






















Advances in

Virolog y



Volume 2014




Enzyme Research



Microbiology

review article an overview of important ethnomedicinal...

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