Phytochemistry Reviews最新文献

The fruits of mulberry (Morus alba, Morus nigra, and Morus rubra) are historically known to contain high levels of bioactive phytochemicals, including anthocyanins, flavonoids, phenolic acids, and polysaccharides, and were traditionally used in various traditional medicines. Modern scientific research has given an ever-attentive focus on their future roles in prophylaxis and the treatment of metabolic, inflammatory as well as chronic non-communicable diseases. The current systematic review provides a critical summary of the available evidence on the pharmacological activity of mulberry fruits and the molecular processes that determine their therapeutic potential. The Scopus database was searched systematically using PRISMA 2020 requirements, which is why the studies conducted between 2015 and 2025 were considered. In vitro, in vivo and human studies that tested mulberry fruit extracts, isolated molecules and derived preparations were included. Qualitative aggregation of data was conducted, focusing on phytochemical composition, biological activities, and mechanistic pathways, with a bibliometric analysis using Biblioshiny to outline research trends and conceptual frameworks. Forty-six studies were found to meet the requirements of inclusion. The findings have shown that the fruits of the mulberry have strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, by regulating the expression of important signalling pathways, including Nrf2-ARE, NF-κB, MAPK, and AMPK. It is these molecular activities that support their antidiabetic, cardioprotective, hepatoprotective, neuroprotective and anticancer activities, including glucose homeostasis, lipid metabolism, endothelial activity, mitochondrial maintenance and apoptotic pathways. Bibliometric analysis showed that there was a slow but steady rise in the number of publications, with the principal contribution made by Asian nations and a gradual interdisciplinary incorporation of pharmacology, food science, and biochemistry. Although there is strong evidence in preclinical research, clinical translation is limited by inconsistencies in extraction procedures, phytochemical standardisation, bioavailability, as well as scarcity of large-scale human trials. Further studies must focus on the creation of standardised prescriptions, sophisticated delivery models, and well-crafted clinical trials using multi-omics. In general, the mulberry fruit turns out to be an excellent multifocal functional food and nutraceutical candidate, which has a significant healing potential.

The PI3K/AKT/mTOR (PAM) signaling axis is a central regulator of tumor growth, metabolic reprogramming, survival, and therapeutic resistance across multiple cancer types. Although pharmacological inhibitors targeting individual PAM components have demonstrated clinical utility, their long-term efficacy is frequently limited by signaling redundancy, compensatory feedback activation, metabolic adaptation, and tumor microenvironment-driven plasticity. Consequently, increasing attention has focused on multi-targeted strategies capable of modulating adaptive oncogenic networks rather than isolated signaling nodes. Curcumin and resveratrol are pleiotropic phytochemicals with broad regulatory effects on PAM-associated signaling. This review examines whether these compounds function merely as canonical pathway inhibitors or as systems-level modulators capable of destabilizing adaptive oncogenic signaling networks. We critically synthesize mechanistic and translational evidence describing the effects of these phytochemicals on receptor tyrosine kinases, PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling, mTORC2-mediated feedback loops, metabolic regulation, inflammatory signaling, hypoxia-associated pathways, apoptosis, and tumor microenvironment interactions. Emerging evidence suggests that curcumin and resveratrol may attenuate adaptive resistance by simultaneously modulating metabolic, inflammatory, stromal, and immune-associated signaling processes that reinforce PAM pathway activity. This review further evaluates translational challenges that continue to limit clinical application, including poor bioavailability, rapid metabolism, pharmacokinetic instability, variable tissue exposure, and formulation heterogeneity. Recent advances in nanoformulation, blood–brain barrier-targeted delivery, and combinatorial therapeutic strategies are discussed as potential approaches to improve pharmacological performance and therapeutic integration. We also highlight unresolved systems-level questions involving signaling plasticity, biomarker-guided patient stratification, adaptive therapy, and network-level pharmacodynamic assessment. Overall, this review proposes a systems-pharmacology framework in which curcumin and resveratrol are interpreted not as isolated pathway blockers, but as multi-context modulators capable of influencing adaptive oncogenic network behavior. Such a perspective may support the future development of biomarker-guided combinatorial strategies within precision oncology paradigms.

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Over 390 million people are infected with the dengue virus (DENV) every year, and these numbers increase year by year. Until now, there has been no antiviral drug to treat dengue fever; therefore, it remains one of the major public health concerns worldwide, especially in tropical countries. The dengue virus belongs to the family Flaviviridae, which causes dengue fever and is spread through the female Aedes aegypti mosquito. This virus has four serotypes, named DENV-1 to DENV-4. The dengue virus’s (+) ssRNA genome encodes three structural proteins (envelope, membrane, and capsid) and seven non-structural proteins. These non-structural proteins are arranged as follows: NS1, NS2A, NS2B, NS3, NS4A, NS4B, and NS5. Historically, natural products have been used to produce medicines to treat various diseases. In this review, we highlight dengue epidemiology, dengue proteins and their potential as antiviral targets, as well as many phytochemicals that may help prevent dengue fever worldwide, including terpenoids, alkaloids, phenolic compounds, and glycosides. In the future, more attention should be given to exploring natural products to identify antivirals against dengue.

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In recent times, plant-derived exosomes (PDEs) has emerged as “robust cargo” platform to that can enable diversified cross-kingdom interactions and effectual delivery of several therapeutics. These nanoscale vesicles are mainly composed of assorted miRNA types, secondary metabolites, proteins and lipids. The PDEs have recently been well documented to encompass wound healing, anticancer, skin regeneration, and immune modulation effects. Irrespective of these, however successful clinical translation of PDEs is still a challenge due to standardization, scalability, and bioavailability limitations. This perspective therefore reviews recent developments, the key impediments, and potential future directions for PDEs-based therapies in regenerative and personalized medicine.

Apple cider vinegar (ACV), a traditional fermented product of apple juice, contains a range of bioactive constituents owing to its rich spectrum of naturally occurring compounds. Its key constituents are acetic acid (CH₃COOH), phenolic acids (gallic and chlorogenic acid), and flavonoids like quercetin, which exhibit structurally diverse functional groups, including hydroxyl and carboxyl moieties, that may contribute to their reported biological activities. Acetic acid, characterized by a simple methyl-to-carboxyl linkage, has been associated with antimicrobial and metabolic effects. Meanwhile, phenolic acids with aromatic hydroxyl arrangements may contribute to antioxidant activity through radical-scavenging mechanisms, and quercetin’s polycyclic flavone scaffold has been reported to influence antioxidant and cellular signalling pathways. The antioxidant potential of ACV has been linked to its potential interaction with reactive oxygen species, including superoxide, hydroxyl radicals, and hydrogen peroxide, thereby potentially reducing oxidative damage to cellular biomolecules. Through electron or hydrogen donation mechanisms, its phenolic and flavonoid components may influence lipid peroxidation pathways, stabilize reactive intermediates, and modulate cellular oxidative balance. Beyond antioxidant-related effects, several studies have suggested that ACV bioactive compounds may influence pathways associated with cancer biology. Proposed mechanisms include modulation of mitochondrial function and activation of apoptosis-related enzymes such as caspases 3 and 9. Additionally, ACV modulates cell-cycle regulators, particularly cyclin-dependent kinases and tumour suppressor proteins like p53, leading to cell-cycle arrest and inhibition of malignant proliferation. Collectively, these interconnected molecular processes indicate that ACV and its constituents may have relevance in studies related to oxidative stress and cellular regulation. However, further clinical investigations remain essential to substantiate its efficacy and safe therapeutic applications.

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Various Clematis species are well known for their therapeutic potential. Genus Clematis is source of phytochemically and pharmacologically diverse species. Extracts prepared from different parts such as leaves, stem, flowers, roots and rhizome have been reported to exert a range of pharmacological effects. Among these most of the exploited therapeutic activities are antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anticancer. The present review article describes the various pharmacological activities, including analgesic, antiangiogenesis, antianxiety and antidepressant, antiarthritis, antibacterial, anticancer, antifungal, antihyperuricemic, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antiulcerogenic, antivenom, antiviral, atherosclerosis, cardioprotective, hepatoprotective, insecticidal etc. This comprehensive review aims to provide an overview of the traditional use and phytochemical composition of Clematis species as well as the very recent bioactivities of secondary metabolites derived from these species. Recent in vitro, in vivo, and preclinical studies are reviewed and discussed, particularly focusing on cytotoxic, antidiabetic, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antifungal and cardioprotective activities. Furthermore, the anticancer potential of various Clematis species extracts and isolated constituents are also described. The effects of major Clematis species compounds on detailed anticancer mechanism have been widely studied. Therefore, the ability of Clematis species compounds to function as anticancer drugs in the context of cancer drug discovery has become a promising area of investigation. The existing body of evidence indicates that Clematis species possess significant potential to be developed into clinically effective therapeutic agents. While several secondary metabolites have shown promising activity in the in vitro studies, comprehensive in vivo investigations and clinical trials are crucial to validate these findings and identify novel drug. Therefore, it is imperative that Clematis species undergo rigrous and systematic research, particularly at the clinical level, to facilitate the development of safer and more efficacious medicinal products.

Recently, ginsenosides have garnered significant attention for their potential hepatoprotective effects in various liver diseases, demonstrating multiple benefits particularly in acute/chronic liver toxicity, hepatitis, and liver fibrosis/cirrhosis. In this review, we systematically displayed the advancement of hepatoprotective effects of ginsenosides found between 2014 and 2024, discussed the hepatoprotective potential of ginsenosides against acute and chronic hepatotoxicity, hepatitis, liver fibrosis and cirrhosis, analyzed the limitations of existing hepatoprotective studies and prospects of ginsenosides. Moreover, based on the hepatoprotective targets of ginsenosides reported in the literature, protein-protein interactions were analyzed to identify the key hepatoprotective core targets of ginsenosides. Based on the multi-perspective analysis, both single and mixtures of ginsenosides showed good hepatoprotective activities, and anti-programmed cell death, improvement of glycolipid metabolism, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory might be the key molecular mechanisms of action of ginsenosides. Protein interaction analysis showed that ginsenosides regulate the core targets AKT1, TLR4, PPARG, MTOR, EGFR, SIRT1, PPARA, FOXO1, CASP1, MMP9, MAPK8, PTEN, and NLRP3, exerting antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, improving metabolism, and regulating immunity through mechanisms to treat various liver diseases. While extensive preclinical studies (animal and cellular levels) have investigated the hepatoprotective pharmacology of ginsenosides, robust clinical evidence supporting their efficacy in humans remains limited, necessitating strengthened clinical trial research in this field. This review provides new perspectives and useful references for the future development of ginseng- derived hepatoprotective drugs.

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Caffeoylquinic acids (CQAs), commonly referred to as chlorogenic acids, are a structurally diverse group of hydroxycinnamate esters widely distributed in plant-derived foods, medicinal plants, and other botanical matrices. Their diversity arises from the esterification of quinic acid with one or more caffeoyl groups, generating mono-, di-, tri-, and tetra-caffeoylated derivatives with multiple positional isomers. This structural variation strongly influences polarity, stability, chromatographic behavior, natural abundance, and biological interpretation. This review provides an isomer-aware and evidence-based synthesis of CQAs by integrating structural classification, biosynthetic relationships, natural occurrence, isomer-resolved analytical strategies, and structure-dependent bioactivities. Particular attention is given to acyl migration, matrix effects, and analytical challenges that complicate the reliable identification and quantification of closely related CQA isomers. Representative natural concentration values or ranges are also summarized to support the assessment of biological relevance across selected plant-derived matrices. Current evidence indicates that CQAs are associated with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, neuroprotective, anticancer-related, and metabolic regulatory effects. However, these activities should be interpreted according to compound identity, experimental model, applied concentration or dose, control treatment, bioavailability, metabolism, and evidence type. By connecting chemical diversity with analytical rigor and biological evidence, this review highlights current limitations and provides a framework for future isomer-specific studies and the rational evaluation of CQA-containing plant-derived products.

Protocatechuic acid (PCA) is a botanical phenolic acid which has received significant interest due to its wide array of pharmacological properties. From 2000 until 2025, this review provides a thorough insight into the progressive pharmaceutical uses of PCA across a wide range of effects. Data show that antioxidant activity is the most widely investigated activity of PCA, mediated by direct free radical scavenging, metal chelation, and regulation of redox-sensitive signal transduction systems. Closely connected to it, PCA has strong anti-inflammatory properties, which suppress pro-inflammatory mediators and cytokines by regulating the activity of significant molecular pathways. In addition to these fundamental processes, PCA has strong organ-protective action in various systems. PCA exhibits neuroprotective activity by reducing oxidative stress, preventing neuroinflammation, controlling apoptosis, preventing protein aggregation, and sustaining neurotransmitter balance and mitochondrial activity. PCA offers cardioprotection through anti-apoptotic, antioxidant, lipid-regulating, and vasodilatory activities, which lead to enhanced endothelial activity and decreased atherosclerotic processes. It demonstrates hepatoprotective, nephroprotective, antimicrobial, anticancer, antidiabetic, and other bioactivities that are frequently linked and act in common through pathways that involve oxidative stress alleviation and inflammatory regulation. This review reveals that the various pharmacological activities of PCA do not act in a separated manner but constitute a network of biological functions with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory functions acting as a focal point leading to downstream therapeutic effects. Accordingly, PCA turns out to be a versatile and multifaceted bioactive agent with high therapeutic potential. Thus, more clinical trials and translational studies are needed to harness its full biomedical potential.

Moringa oleifera(MO) is a suitable plant source for the green synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) due to its rich phytochemical composition.This review analyses recent studies on MO-mediated AgNPs synthesis, with an emphasis on the influence of different plant parts on nanoparticle formation and biomedical performance. In contrast to previous reviews, this work identifies cross-studies trends indicating that the choice of plant part and extraction method significantly determines the size, stability, and bioactivity of nanoparticles, including the formation of ultra-small AgNPs under selective extraction conditions. Key synthesis indicators and characterization techniques are briefly outlined. Biomedical applications of MO-derived AgNPs are discussed with a focus on their antibacterial, antifungal, anticancer, and wound-healing activities, with a brief SWOT overview. Overall, this review provides a concise and strategic perspective on MO-based AgNPs for size-controlled biomedical nanotechnology.

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