Traditional Uses, Phytochemical Constituents and Ethnopharmacological Properties of Mistletoe from Phoradendron and Viscum Species

Luis Aurelio Montoya-Inzunza, J. Basilio Heredia, Jayanta Kumar Patra, Sushanto Gouda, Rout George Kerry, Gitishree Das, Erick Paul Gutierrez-Grijalva

Research output: Contribution to journalShort surveypeer-review

Abstract

Plants from the genus Phoradendron and Viscum, also known as American and European mistletoe, are a group of hemiparasitic plants traditionally used to treat many diseases. Mis-tletoes have a rich content of natural compounds like terpenes, alkaloids, proteins, and phenolic compounds associated with their potential medicinal properties. In this sense, mistletoes have shown antiproliferative, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial activity, which has been attributed to their phytochemical constituents. The mechanisms in which mistletoe plants act vary and depend on their phytochemical content and distribution, which in part will depend on the mistletoe species. In this sense, recent literature research is needed to visualize state of the art in the ethnopharmacological potential of mistletoe. Thus, this literature review aims to systematically report recent studies (2010-2023) on the phytochemical characterization and bioactive studies of mistletoe plants, mainly the Viscum and Phoradendron genera. We gather recent information of 140 references selected in our research. Here we report that although there are several bioactivity studies of mistletoe species, bioavailability studies are still scarce, and the precise mechanisms of action are not fully known. We encourage that further studies include a systematic strategy to cover these areas of opportunity.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1193-1110
Number of pages84
JournalCombinatorial Chemistry and High Throughput Screening
Volume27
Issue number8
DOIs
StatePublished - 2024

Keywords

  • Mistletoe
  • medicinal plants
  • phoradendron
  • phytochemicals
  • polyphenols
  • viscum

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