Abstract

PHYTOCHEMICAL AND PHYTOTHERAPEUTIC ACTIVITIES OF CELOSIA ARGENTEA: A REVIEW

B. J. Divya*, M. Jyothi Sravani, J. Hari Chandana, T. Sumana and K. Thyagaraju

ABSTRACT

Medicinal plants have been used basically in all cultures as a source of medicine. They have been used for thousands of years to flavour and conserve food, to treat different health issues and to prevent diseases including epidemics. Active compounds produced during secondary metabolism usually posses the biological properties of plant species used throughout the globe for various purposes, including treatment of infectious diseases. Based on the medicinal values, Celosia argentea (Amaranthaceae) has been chosen for this study. Celosia argentea plays an important role in traditional medicine to cure several disorders such as fever, diarrohea, mouth sores, itching, wounds, jaundice, gonorrhea, inflammation, bleeding piles, bleeding nose, cold, gastrointestinal diseases, haematological, gynecological, uterus disorders, rheumatoid arthritis, sores, ulcers, skin eruptions, snakebite and as an abortifacient. A variety of phytoconstituents are isolated from the Celosia species which include phenols, tannins, flavonoids, cardiac glycosides, steroids, phytosterols, phlobatannins, carbohydrates, lipids, amino acids, peptides, phenolic acids, novel triterpenoid saponins-celosin E, F and celosin G together with a known compound cristatain, betalains, nicotinic acid, celogentin A–D, H, J,K, alkaloids which include celogenamide A, moroidin, celosian, citrusin C, amaranthin, isoamaranthin, betalamic acid, miraxanthin V (Dopaamine-BX), 3-methoxytyramine-BX and (S)-Tryptophan-BX. This plant has potential pharmacological values screened various pharmacological activities, suchas anti-inflammatory, immune-stimulating, anticancer, hepatoprotective, antioxidant, wound healing, antimitotic (antitumor), antiviral, anti-microbial activity and skin depigmentation, antidiabetic, antinociceptive effect and antibacterial activities which are reported in different parts of the plant extracts. This review gives in brief details of the ethnobotanical, phytochemical and pharmacological investigations on the C.argentea species. It is an attempt to study for further research.

Keywords: Epidemics, Amaranthin, Hepatoprotective, Pharmacological, Tannins.