Chemical constituents and pharmacologic actions of Cynomorium plants

Abstract

The stem of Cynomorium songaricum is a traditional Chinese medicine reputed to have tonic effects. C. coccineum growing in northern Africa and the Mediterranean region is regarded in Arabian medical practice as the "treasure of drugs". The major constituents of Cynomorium plants have been revealed to be phenolic compounds, steroids, triterpenes, etc. Pharmacologic studies showed that the Cynomorium plants had antioxidant, immunity-improving, anti-diabetic, neuroprotective, and other bioactivities. Some chemical constituents in Cynomorium plants are unstable, implying that the chemical components of the herbal medicines produced under different conditions may be variable. This review covers the literature published until December, 2011 and describes the pharmacologic effects and secondary metabolites of Cynomorium species.

Secondary Metabolite Accumulation Associates with Ecological Succession of Endophytic Fungi in Cynomorium songaricum Rupr.

“…Cynomorium songaricum Rupr. belongs to the Cynomoriaceae family; it has no chlorophyll but tends to parasitize the roots of Nitrariaceae plants . It is distributed in the peripheral regions of desert with extreme environments that are dry, rocky, and sandy and have large temperature differences in Asia, Africa, and Europe .…”

Research Progress in Traditional Applications, Phytochemistry, Pharmacology, and Safety Evaluation of Cynomorium songaricum

“…Two anthocyanin pigments were isolated from a 95% ethanol extract of CSR inflorescences. Cyanidin 3-O-glucoside (22) was identified as the predominant pigment, accounting for 92%, while cyanidin 3-O-rhamnosylglucoside (23) was identified as the minor component, comprising 8% [45]. The compounds (+)-catechin (24), isoquercetin (25), rutin (26), and (−)-epicatechin-3-O-gallate (27) were isolated from ethanol extract of CSR inflorescences [46] (Table 2).…”

“…Daucosterol (42) and β-sitosterol (43) were isolated from the ethyl acetate fraction of a 95% ethanol extract obtained stem of CSR [13]. The β-sitosteryl oleate (44), β-sitosteryl glucoside (45), and β-sitosteryl glucoside 6 ′ -O-aliphatates (46) were isolated from the dichloromethane extract of CSR stem [16]. Furthermore, β-sitosterol palmaitate (47) was isolated from the chloroform extract [50].…”

The Modern Use of an Ancient Plant: Exploring the Antioxidant and Nutraceutical Potential of the Maltese Mushroom (Cynomorium Coccineum L.)

“…These anthocyanins are confined to the red external layer of small flowers and are almost absent in the colorless stem and internal part of the plant. So far, no anthocyanins have been described for C. songaricum [9,26]. In the Asian subspecies, in fact, other types of flavonoids (i.e., flavan-3-ols, flavanones, and flavones) have been detected.…”