‘Sweeter’ than its name: anti-inflammatory activities of Stevia rebaudiana

Abstract

Inflammation plays a major role in etiology of multiple diseases and it has become an imperative therapeutic target in pharmacological interventions. Over the years, natural products originating from plants have made great contributions in the drug discovery process. Belonging to the Asteraceae family, Stevia rebaudiana (S. rebaudiana) is exploited at a large scale for its purpose as a natural sweetener. Even so, researchers have begun to notice other bioactive potential use of stevia such as anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer activities, which are conferred by compounds present in the leaves including stevioside, rebaudioside and isosteviol. In this review, we provide a brief overview of S. rebaudiana plant and its bioactive compounds and highlight their anti-inflammatory potential for therapeutic applications.

Histomorphological Changes in a Rat Model of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome and the Contribution of Stevia Leaf Extract in Modulating the Ovarian Fibrosis, VEGF, and TGF-β Immunoexpressions: Comparison with Metformin

“…All treated groups including SLE showed a significant improvement in the altered parameters with almost equal efficacy. SLE, in particular, stevioside constituents have anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative damage properties [ 41 ], thereby explaining the reduced TNF-α and increased SOD levels in the current research compared to the PCOS group. Furthermore, the antidiabetic effect of SLE facilitated the reduction in MDA due to the amelioration of hyperglycemia, the cornerstone of lipid peroxidation and ROS release [ 35 ].…”

“…Stevia sweeteners are natural products that have gained rising attention, in recent years in industrial and scientific communities [ 15 ]. The different constituents present in stevia leaf extract (SLE) conferred various biological properties such as anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, anticancer [ 41 ], anti-obesity, antioxidant, anti-hyperlipidemic, and anti-hypertensive effects [ 7 ]. For example, steviosides, the main sweetener glycoside found in the leaves of Stevia Rebaudiana Bertoni plant have therapeutic applications in Diabetes Mellitus, obesity and possess anti-inflammatory and antitumor activities [ 37 ].…”

Transglycosylation of Stevioside by a Commercial β-Glucanase with Fungal Extracted β-Glucans as Donors

“…Therefore, it is of high importance to uncover the potential of already commercially available biocatalysts in inserting β-bonds to the desired products. Taking into consideration the anti-inflammatory and prebiotic activities of natural steviol glucosides [ 40 , 41 ], biocatalysis could offer the possibility to construct libraries of similar compounds, to screen for improved bioactivities.…”

Highly Oxygenated Labdane Diterpenoids from Stevia rebaudiana and Their Anti‐Atherosclerosis Activities

“…And it is commercially grown in many parts of Central America, Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay, Israel, Thailand and China but its cultivation has now become popular in various regions of the world. S. rebaudiana is a naturally occurring calorie free sweetener that is also reported to have various medicinal benefits including antidiabetic, antihypotensive, antioxidant, anti‐hyperglycemic, antibiotic and anticancerous agent without causing any detrimental side effects [2–6] . In terms of phytochemistry, S. rebaudiana are abundant sources of diterpenoids and diterpenoid glycosides, [7–10] especially, stevioside, an ent‐kaurene diterpenoid glycosides, which indicate a range of bioactivities including anti‐inflammation, anti‐cancer and immunomodulatory [5,11–15] .…”