Antioxidative and therapeutic potential of selected Australian plants: A review

• Published in: Journal of ethnopharmacology 2021-03, Vol.268, p.113580, Article 113580
• Main Authors: Mani, Janice S., Johnson, Joel B., Hosking, Holly, Ashwath, Nanjappa, Walsh, Kerry B., Neilsen, Paul M., Broszczak, Daniel A., Naiker, Mani
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Anticancer; Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic - isolation & purification; Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic - pharmacology; Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic - therapeutic use; Antioxidant; Antioxidants - isolation & purification; Antioxidants - pharmacology; Antioxidants - therapeutic use; Antiviral activity; Australia - ethnology; Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples; Cytotoxic; Ethnopharmacology; Ethnopharmacology - methods; Humans; Hypoglycemic Agents - isolation & purification; Hypoglycemic Agents - pharmacology; Hypoglycemic Agents - therapeutic use; Medicinal use of plant product and polyphenols; Medicine, Traditional - methods; Phytochemicals - isolation & purification; Phytochemicals - pharmacology; Phytochemicals - therapeutic use; Plant Extracts - isolation & purification; Plant Extracts - pharmacology; Plant Extracts - therapeutic use; Plants, Medicinal
• ISSN: 0378-8741; 1872-7573; 1872-7573
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2020.113580

Numerous common pharmaceuticals, including anti-cancer, antiviral and antidiabetic drugs, are derived from traditional plant-derived medicines. With approximately 25,000 species of flora occurring in Australia that are adapted to the harsh environment, there is a plethora of novel compounds awaiting research in the context of their medicinal properties. Anecdotal accounts of plant-based medicines used by the Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples clearly illustrates high therapeutic activity. This review aims to demonstrate the medicinal potentials of selected native Australian plants based on scientific data. Furthermore, it is anticipated that work presented here will contribute towards enhancing our knowledge of native plants from Australia, particularly in the prevention and potential treatment of disease types such as cancer, microbial and viral infections, and diabetes. This is not meant to be a comprehensive study, rather it is meant as an overview to stimulate future research in this field. The EBSCOhost platform which included PubMed, SciFinder, Web of Knowledge, Scopus, and ScienceDirect databases were searched for papers using the keywords: medicinal plants, antioxidative, antimicrobial, antibacterial, anticancer, anti-tumor, antiviral or antidiabetic, as well as Australian, native, traditional and plants. The selection criteria for including studies were restricted to articles on plants used in traditional remedies which showed antioxidative potential and therapeutic properties such as anticancer, antimicrobial, antiviral and antidiabetic activity. Some plants identified in this review which showed high Total Phenolic Content (TPC) and antioxidative capacity, and hence prominent bioactivity, included Tasmannia lanceolata (Poir.) A.C. Sm., Terminalia ferdinandiana Exell, Eucalyptus species, Syzygium species, Backhousia citriodora F.Muell., Petalostigma species, Acacia species, Melaleuca alternifolia (Maiden & Betche) Cheel, Eremophila species, Prostanthera rotundifolia R.Br., Scaevola spinescens R. Br. and Pittosporum angustifolium Lodd. The majority of studies found polar compounds such as caffeic acid, coumaric acid, chlorogenic acid, quercetin, anthocyanins, hesperidin, kaempferol, catechin, ellagic acid and saponins to be the active components responsible for the therapeutic effects. Additionally, mid to non-polar volatile organic compounds such as meroterpenes (serrulatanes and nerol cinnamates), monoterpenes (1,8-cineole