Sarcococca species: A source of bioactive steroidal alkaloids - A review

Sarcococca species (the family Buxaceae), containing a large number of steroidal alkaloids, were often used as medicinal plants for treating various ailments, such as fever, pain, and inflammation.

The current study aims to highlight the natural observation and pharmacological actions of Sarcococca steroidal alkaloids and related compounds.

Scientific literature of phytochemical studies and pharmacological examinations of Sarcococca species were collected from four main sources: Google Scholar, Web of Science, PubMed, and journal websites. "Sarcococca" and "steroidal alkaloids" were the primary keywords to search for references. The study covers almost all English publications from the 1960 s to the present. ChemDraw Ultra 12.0 was used to draw chemical structures of phytochemicals.

Phytochemical results indicated that about 170 secondary metabolites have been detected in Sarcococca, of which 144 compounds (84.7%) can be classified as steroidal alkaloids. Other classes included sterols, triterpenoids, flavonoids, and mono-phenols. Sarcococca crude plant extracts, fractions, and their steroidal alkaloid isolates have pharmacological properties, such as cytotoxic, antimicrobial, antioxidative, antiinflammatory, antileishmanial, antiplasmodial, and antidiabetic activities. They were also recorded to protect against harmful conditions to the neurons, liver, and gastrointestinal system, and exert vasorelaxant, analgesic, estrogen biosynthesis, and nematicidal activities. Some steroidal alkaloids are better than the standard drugs to inhibit acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) enzymes. Generally, substituted groups at nitrogenous atoms might be attributed to the differences in pharmacological results.

Advances in chromatographic isolations of steroidal alkaloids to obtain huge amounts are necessary. In vivo biological experiences and clinical testing are encouraged.