Mikania Species: Revealing Phytochemicals from the Pandora’s Box

Natural medicines and traditional remedies are pretty valuable. Ayurveda, Traditional Chinese medicine, and Unani have all been practised in various parts of the world and have grown into well-organized medical systems. Secondary metabolites such as alkaloids, flavonoids, and tannins have already established their anti-microbial, anti-diabetic, and anti-cancer attributes. Mikania is one such plant genus used in folk medicine, which belongs to the Asteraceae family and is native to Central and South America. Still, it is extensively dispersed in Southeast Asia and Pacific Islands. Phytometabolites, viz., mikanolides and achalensolide, have emerged as potent antineoplastic agents. Sesquiterpene lactones such as deoxymikanolide and mikanolide possess anti-microbial activities. Apart from sesquiterpenes, several phenolic compounds comprising (+)-isolariciresinol and protocatechuic aldehyde were found in the aerial parts of Mikania micrantha. Antifungal activity of essential oil containing βcaryophyllene, δ-cadinene, and α-cubebene was characterized by GC/MS and isolated from Mikania scandens. Various steroids and diterpenoids obtained from Mikania cordata exhibited potent analgesic activity. This plant also contains germacrene D, βpinene, and α-thujene, characterized by GC/MS. Many phenylpropanoids, sesquiterpenes, and diterpenes obtained from Mikania laevigata were characterized using NMR and mass spectrometry. Lupeol, lupeol acetate, and kaurene diterpenes were derived from Mikania glomerata and validated using RP-HPLC methods.

Keywords: Alkaloids, Coumarins, Flavonoids, Mikania species, Phytosterols, Phytoconstituents, Traditional use, Terpenoids.