INTRODUCTION:
Eupatorium odoratum L. Syn: Eupatorium conyzoides Vahl. (Family-Asteraceae) is a Christmas bush, also known as bitter bush, Siam weed, baby tea, Santa Maria, is a scrambling shrub. It may reach 1m or more as a free standing shrub and 4m or more when climbing into trees or shrubs. Stems reach 2cm in diameter. The plants are maintained by a system of abundant, yellowish, fine lateral roots. Multiple sprouts arise from the root crown and lower stems. The individual branches are long with relatively few branches. The opposite, three-nerved leaves are deltoid to ovate-lanciolate, usually with a dentate margin and a long pointed tip. The leaves are aromatic when crushed. The inflorescences are corymbs of cylindrical heads located on the terminals of lateral branches. There are 15 to 25 tubular florets per head, white, lavender, pink, or blue in color. The seeds are a brownish gray to black achene that is 4mm long with a pale brown pappus 5 or 6 mm long.1
Chromolaena odorata (L.) King and Robinson (Asteraceae), formerly known as Eupatorium odoratum, is a weedy pioneering shrub native to the Americas from southern USA to northern Argentina. Chromolaena odorata has become one of the worst terrestrial invasive plants in the humid tropics and subtropics of the Old World over the past century.2
PHYTOCHEMICALS:
Phytochemicals are chemical compounds that occur naturally in plants. The term is generally used to refer to those chemicals that may affect health. An examination of the phytochemical of eupatorium species affords the opportunity to examine a range of fairly unique compounds. Chromolaena odorata king and rob. (syn. Eupatorium odoratum linn.) Is a toxic weed that is widespread over many parts of the world including india. This plant is responsible for illness and death of cattle and goats in karnataka. In this study, four extracts (petroleum ether, chloroform, methanol and aqueous) of chromolaena odorata leaves were qualitatively analyzed for the presence of various phytochemicals. The petroleum ether extract of chromolaena odorata leaves showed the presence of steroids, triterpenes, alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins, diterpenes, and saponins. The chloroform extract showed the presence of steroids, alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins, and glycosides. The methanol extract showed the presence of steroids, alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins, lactones, diterpenes, and saponins, and the aqueous extract showed the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, lactones, tannins, and saponins. The green leaves of the plant tested positive for the presence of nitrate. Manifestations of toxicity due to chromolaena odorata depend upon relative abundance of these different toxins. Aqueous and methanolic extracts of Chromolaena odorata were screened for phytochemical constituents. The evaluation of the antioxidant potential of the methanolic extract was also carried out. Tests for tannins, steroids, terpenoids, flavonoids and cardiac glycosides were positive in both methanolic and aqueous extracts. Alkaloids were detected only in the methanolic extract. The total phenolic content, reducing power and percent DPPH scavenging effect were 0.01 ± 0.00 mg/g GAE, 0.22 ± 0.01 and 28.85 ± 0.99%, respectively. Against the backdrop of many known medicinal properties of this plant, results from the present work suggest that relatively low values of antioxidant indices may not imply a low medicinal value. Phytochemical studies on the petroleum ether extract of the roots of Eupatorium odoratum have resulted in the isolation of a novel triterpene, 3β -hydroxy-28-carboxyolean-12-ene (1) along with seven known compounds – poriferasterol (2), octadecane (3), butyrospermol acetate (4), bis(2- ethylhexyl)phthalate (5), chrysophanol (6), physcion (7) and palmitic acid (8). Novel compound 1 is designated as eupatoric acid. Compounds 2 – 7 were reported here for the first time from this plant. Palmitic acid (8) was also isolated for the first time from this root. The structure of the novel compound was established on the basis of spectroscopic studies. The cytotoxicity of the compounds 1 – 7 was studied using a lethality test against Artemia salina (brine shrimp).
Previous investigations of the leaves and stems of C. odorata revealed the presence of essential oils4. Flowers of this plant species have been subjected to investigation for essential oils.
TRADITIONAL MEDICINAL USES:
The literature reveals that the E. odoratum leaves are used orally against wounds, inflammation in traditional system. Hence, an effort has been made to establish the scientific validity to investigate the possible. Eupatorium odoratum L. is used as drug by many ayurvedic practitioners for the treatment of asthma and chronic rheumatism, leaf juice mixed with honey.
Eupatorium odoratum commonly known as Pogosongha (Hindi) is widely distributed in forest of India. It also known as bitter bush, Siam weed, baby tea or Santa Maria. It is an erect surb of about 3 m high. The leaves are alternate and the fruits are one-seeded. It may reach 1 m or more as a free standing shrub and 4 m or more when climbing into trees or shrubs. Stems reach 2 cm in diameter5. Traditionally Eupatorium has many more presumed beneficial uses, including treatment of dengue fever, arthritis, certain infectious diseases, migraine, intestinal worms, malaria, and diarrhoea9. The whole plant extract possess diuretic activity7. The leaves of Eupatorium shown anti-inflammatory11, wound healing12 and insect repellant properties13. Flavonoids from the flowers of Eupatorium odoratum have shown antimycobacterial activity and cytotoxicity14. Phytochemical analysis of extract of Eupatorium odoratum showed the presence of steroids, triterpenes alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins, diterpenes, glycosides, lactones and saponins15.
This plant species is native to central and South America and it is now distributed throughout Africa and tropical Asia (Muniappan and Marutani, 1991). In traditional medicine, a decoction of the leaf is used as a cough remedy and as an ingredient with lemon grass and guava leaves for the treatment of malaria. The juice pressed out of the crushed leaves is applied to cuts to stop bleeding. Other medicinal uses include antidiarrheal, astringent, antispasmodic, antihypertensive, anti-inflammatory and diuretic (Iwu, 1993). In Thailand, leave juice is used as a haemostatic on wounds and antiinflammatory. A decoction of flowers is used as tonic, antipyretic and heart tonic.
PHARMACOLOGICAL ACTIVITIES:
Anti Malarial Activity:
Antimalarial studies were performed on the leaves of Eupatorium odoratum L. collected around roadside forest zone in Thialand. Chloroform extract were found to be active against K1 strains of Plasmodium falciparum in in vitro culture with an EC50 Value of 30,23.5 and 25µg/ml, respectively. Further fractionation of this subfraction yielded three active compounds which through spectroscopy identified as isosakuranetin, kaempferide and tamarixetine and these shows active against Plasmodium falciparum.
Anti-Inflammatory Activity:
The anti-inflammatory activity of the aqueous extract of Chromolaena odorata was investigated in rats using the carrageenan-induced oedema, cotton pellet granuloma and formalin-induced oedema methods. The extract was administered orally at doses of 25, 50, 100 and 200 mg/kg. In the carrageenan method the paw oedema was significantly reduced by all the doses of the extract administered, with the 200 mg/kg dose producing the highest oedema inhibition (80.5%). In the cotton pellet method, granuloma weight was significantly reduced from 14 ± 0.1 to 9.0 ± 0.1 mg, while in the formaldehyde induced arthritis the extract inhibited the oedema during the 10-day period. In conclusion, this study has established the anti-inflammatory activity of C. odorata and thus, justifies the traditional uses of the plant in the treatment of wounds and inflammation.
Hemostatic Activity:
The pressed extract of the leaves of Eupatorium odoratum is popularly employed traditionally to arrest bleeding from cuts and for wound dressing. Preliminary investigations showed that the leaf extract of E. odoratum significantly reduced bleeding time in guinea pigs and rabbits. The effect was traced largely to its vasoconstrictor activity similar to that of adrenaline. In vitro studies showed that the extract concentration-dependently contracted both the rat and guinea pig vasa deferentia and rabbit arterial strips while having no effect on isolated guinea pig ileum and rat stomach strip preparations. The extract-induced contractions were blocked by low concentrations of prazosin but not by atropine, propranolol, mepyramine or pimoxide. These results suggest that the hemostatic action of E. odoratum may be partly due to a-receptor mediated vasoconstriction17.
Anti-Oxidant Activity:
In cutaneous tissue repair, oxidants and antioxidants play very important roles. In local acute and chronic wounds, oxidants are known to have the ability to cause as cell damage and may function as inhibitory factors to wound healing. The administration of anti-oxidants or free radical scavengers is reportedly helpful, notably in order to limit the delayed sequelae of thermal trauma and to enhance the healing process. Extracts from the leaves of Chromolaena odorata have been shown to be beneficial for treatment of wounds. Studies in vitro of these extracts demonstrated enhanced proliferation of fibroblasts, endothelial cells and keratinocytes, stimulation of keratinocyte migration in an in vitro wound assay, up-regulation of production by keratinocytes of extracellular matrix proteins and basement membrane components, and inhibition of collagen lattice contraction by fibroblasts.18
Antipyretic And Antispasmodic:
A methanol extract of the leaves of Chromolaena odorata was evaluated for anti-inflammatory effects in the carrageenan-induced rat paw edema model as well as for antipyretic activity in mice. The effects of the extract on intestinal transit of charcoal meal and castor oil-induced diarrhoea were also investigated. The extract (50-200 mg/kg) inhibited paw edema in rats and produced significant (p and lt; 0.05) reduction in rectal temperature of mice rendered hyperthermic by yeast suspension. Antimotility and antidiarrhoeal effects were produced by the extract in intact mice. This study establishes the out-inflammatory, antipyretic, and anti-spasmodic properties of C. odorata19.
Inhibits Hydrated Collagen Lattice Contraction:
Chromolaena odorata (formerly Eupatorium odoratum) is used as a traditional medicine in Vietnam (Nghiem, 1992), where its Vietnamese common name is "co hoi." While it has been widely considered a weed by agriculturalists (Holm et al., 1991), the aqueous extract and the decoction from the leaves of this plant have been used throughout Vietnam for the treatment of soft tissue wounds, burn wounds, and skin infections. A number of clinical studies done by Vietnamese as well as foreign medical workers has demonstrated the efficacy of this extract on the wound-healing process. In this article, the effect of the Eupolin extract on hydrated collagen lattice contraction by human dermal fibroblasts, an in vitro model of wound contraction, is described. The significant inhibition of collagen gel contraction by Eupolin extract at 50 to 200 µg/ml is demonstrated in various concentrations of collagen. When the extract at 50 to 150 µg/ml was washed out of the lattices and replaced by fresh medium without Eupolin, the contraction of collagen by cells was resumed. The visualization of cells in the lattices by incubation in a tetrazolium salt for 2 h showed live cells at 50 to 150 µg/ml of extract. In contrast, all cells were killed in the higher extract doses of 300 or 400 µg/ml. These preliminary results showing the inhibitory effect of Eupolin extract on collagen contraction suggest that a clinical evaluation of its effect on wound contraction and scar quality should be made. This work illustrates that traditional remedies that are used by folk practitioners to improve healing can be examined in a scientific manner using in vitro wound-healing models.20
Antihelmintic and Wound Healing:
Recently, there has been growing interest in the traditional cures of livestock diseases because of expensiveness of pharmaceutical products. The self-help approaches in form of traditional medicines, especially from medicinal plants, offer a way out by making use of resources available within the communities themselves. Helminth infections are among the most common infections in man, affecting a large proportion of the world's population. In developing countries they pose a large threat to public health and contribute to the prevalence of malnutrition, anaemia, eosinophilia, and pneumonia. Wounds are generally produced by physical, chemical, thermal, microbial or immunological insult to the tissues. The process of wound healing consists of integrated cellular and biochemical events leading to reestablishment of structural and functional integrity with regain of strength of injured tissues. The fresh leaves and extracts of Chromolaena odorata are used as traditional herbal treatments for burns, soft tissue wounds and skin infections. The present study reveals that the methanolic extract of the leaf part of Chromolaena odorata Linn has got promising effectiveness in the treatment of helmintic infections as well as wound healing process21.
Toxicosis Activity:
Eupatorium genus grows wild in many parts of the world. A number of species of Eupatorium are toxic to grazing animals. Milk sickness in humans is caused by ingestion of milk of the animals reared on the pastures infested with Eupatorium rugosum (white snakeroot). While some information is available on the toxins in various species of Eupatorium, ambiguities still persist in extrapolation of the data to field incidence of toxicosis. Eupatorium genus has been used for its medicinal properties for many decades. A number of bioactive natural products have been reported in the extracts of Eupatorium spp. and the genus is a promising bioresource for preparation of drugs and value-added products22.
Analgesic Activity:
The ethanolic extract of Chromolaena odorata was fractionated with solvent-solvent extraction technique using the following solvents successively, n-hexane, dichloromethane, ethyl acetate, nbutanol and water. The fractions were evaluated for analgesic, anti-inflammatory and antipyretic activities using standard experimental models which includes; hot plate and formalin paw licking tests for analgesic activities, carrageenan paw oedema and cotton pellet granuloma for anti-inflammatory activities and Brewer’s yeast induced pyrexia for antipyretic tests. The dichloromethane (DCF), nbutanol (nBF) and ethyl acetate (EAF) fractions were analyzed using analytical thin-layer chromatography (TLC), and preparative thin-layer chromatography (PTLC). Spectral studies were carried out using ultra-violet (UV) and infra-red (IR) spectroscopy. Phytochemical screening was carried out on the isolated compounds and the Rf values were determined. The result shows that the DCF produced consistent analgesic, anti-inflammatory and antipyretic activities followed by the nBF and EAF. Spectroscopic and phytochemical analyses revealed the presence of flavonoid in DCF. Flavonoids were also detected in nBF and EAF. The biological activities of the extract can therefore be attributed to the presence of flavonoids in the fractions23.
Antioxidant Properties:
Aqueous and methanolic extracts of Chromolaena odorata were screened for phytochemical constituents. The evaluation of the antioxidant potential of the methanolic extract was also carried out. Tests for tannins, steroids, terpenoids, flavonoids and cardiac glycosides were positive in both methanolic and aqueous extracts. Alkaloids were detected only in the methanolic extract. The total phenolic content, reducing power and percent DPPH scavenging effect were 0.01 ± 0.00 mg/g GAE, 0.22 ± 0.01 and 28.85 ± 0.99%, respectively. Against the backdrop of many known medicinal properties of this plant, results from the present work suggest that relatively low values of antioxidant indices may not imply a low medicinal value.24
Diuretic Activity:
The diuretic activity for the infusions of Eupatorium odoratum Linn at 10, 20 and 30 % was evaluated in albino rats. Urinary excretion of water, pH, density, conductivity and Na +, K + and Cl - content were investigated in saline-loaded rats. The extract showed a dose-dependent decrease diuretic effect, but augmented significantly with respect to the control group for the urinary excretion of water and sodium. Furthermore, a potassium-sparing effect at 10 and 20 % was showed. The diuretic effect does not seem to be related to the potassium content of the starting material. The results justify the use of E. odoratum as diuretic agent by the Malaysian traditional medicine.25
Prevention Of Bleeding And Anti-Microbacteria:
The blood clot and antibacterial activity of the Eupatorium odoratum extract were investigated. The ethanol and water extract of dried ground leaves of Eupatorium odoratum were prepared and tested for both activities. It was found that the water extract had hemostatic effect on extrinsic and intrinsic pathway and this extract was more effective than the ethanol extract. Blood clot activities were associated with the amount of Ca2+ in the extract. Moreover, water extract at concentrations of 100 and 250 mg/ml had an antibacterial activity on Staphylococcus aureus. Hydrogel and wound pads were added with E.? odoratum water extract at concentrations of 50 and 20 mg/ml, respectively. The pads were tested for stimulating of blood clot. Two products could reduce the in vitro whole blood clotting time. The cumulative amount of Ca2+ released from hydrogel patches was associated with the percentage of hydrogel swelling. Therefore, hydrogel and wound pads with E. odoratum water extract may be developed for commercial purposes in bleeding prevention and wound healing.27
Antimycobacterial Activity And Cytotoxicity:
From the flowers of Chromolaena odorata (Eupatorium odoratum) four flavanones, isosakuranetin (5,7-dihydroxy-4'-methoxyflavanone) (1), persicogenin (5,3'-dihydroxy-7,4'-dimethoxyflavanone) (2), 5, 6, 7, 4'-tetramethoxyflavanone (3) and 4'-hydroxy-5, 6, 7-trimethoxyflavanone (4), two chalcones, 2'-hydroxy-4, 4', 5', 6'-tetramethoxychalcone (5) and 4, 2'-dihydroxy- 4',5',6'-trimethoxychalcone (6), and two flavones, acacetin (5,7-dihydroxy-4'-methoxyflavone) 7) and luteolin (5,7,3',4'-tetrahydroxyflavone) (8) were isolated and identified. Compound 1 exhibited moderate antimycobacterial activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis with the MIC value of 174.8 mM, whereas compounds 4, 7, and 8 exhibited weak activity with the MIC values of 606.0, 704.2 and 699.3 mM respectively. Compound 7 showed moderate cytotoxicity against human small cell lung cancer (NCI-H187) cells with the MIC value of 24.6 mM, whereas compound 8 exhibited moderate toxicity against NCI-H187 cells and week toxicity against human breast cancer (BC) cells with the MIC values of 19.2 and 38.4 mM respectively.26
CONCLUSION:
From the above cited activities, it is concluded that plant Eupatorium odoratum showed significant activities against several diseases like diarrhoea, diuretics, wound healing, inflammation, malaria, microorganism and insect. Eupatorium odoratum was used by tribal traditionally to treat various infections. This review highlighted the traditional use of this plant. The plant may be further explored and folk practice for different activities.
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Received on 06.07.2010 Modified on 20.07.2010
Accepted on 31.07.2010 © RJPT All right reserved
Research J. Pharm. and Tech. 4(2): February 2011; Page 184-188