Medicinal uses, phytochemistry and pharmacology of Pongamia pinnata (L.) Pierre: A review

Ethnopharmacological relevance: Pongamia pinnata (L.) Pierre is one of the many plants with diverse medicinal properties where all its parts have been used as traditional medicine in the treatment and prevention of several kinds of ailments in many countries such as for treatment of piles, skin diseases, and wounds. Aim of this review: This review discusses the current knowledge of traditional uses, phytochemistry, biological activities, and toxicity of this species in order to reveal its therapeutic and gaps requiring future research opportunities. Material and methods: This review is based on literature study on scientific journals and books from library and electronic sources such as ScienceDirect, PubMed, ACS, etc. Results: Several different classes of flavonoid derivatives, such as flavones, flavans, and chalcones, and several types of compounds including terpenes, steroid, and fatty acids have been isolated from all parts of this plant. The pharmacological studies revealed that various types of preparations, extracts, and single compounds of this species exhibited a broad spectrum of biological activities such as antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and anti-diabetic activities. Conclusion: The results of several toxicity studies indicated that extracts and single compounds isolated from this species did not show any significant toxicity and did not cause abnormality on some rats' organs. Thus, this plant has a potential to be used as an effective therapeutic remedy due to its low toxicity towards mammalian cells. However, further study on chemical constituents and their mechanisms in exhibiting certain biological activities are needed to understand the full phytochemical profile and the complex pharmacological effects of this plant. In addition, further study on the toxicity of the other compounds isolated from this plant required to be assessed to ensure their eligibility to be used as sources of drugs. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.