A REVIEW OF NON-STEROIDAL PHYTOCONSTITUENTS OF TRIBULUS TERRESTRIS

A REVIEW OF NON-STEROIDAL PHYTOCONSTITUENTS OF TRIBULUS TERRESTRIS

Mamdouh N. Samy ^{* 1}, Mokhtar M. Bishr ², Ahmed A. Ahmed ³ and Mohamed S. Kamel ¹

Department of Pharmacognosy ¹, Faculty of Pharmacy, Minia University, Minia 61519, Egypt.

General Manager ², Mepaco Company, Cairo, 11361, Egypt.

Department of Organic Chemistry ³, Faculty of Science, Minia University, Minia 61519, Egypt.

ABSTRACT: The genus Tribulus belongs to family Zygophyllaceae comprises approximately 25 species which grow as prostrate hairy herbs in tropical and warm regions. In this review, the literature data on phytochemical investigations of the Tribulus terrestris are compiled. The well-recognized groups of secondary metabolites were sterols, alkaloids, flavonoids, and steroidal saponins.

Zygophyllaceae, Tribulus terrestris, Non-steroidal constituents

INTRODUCTION: The genus Tribulus belongs to family Zygophyllaceae comprises approximately 25 species which grow as prostrate hairy herbs in tropical and warm regions.  The fruit is resembling a club-shaped crest with sharp spines (each fruit breaking into five triangular-shaped segments, each with two large spines at the tip and several smaller spines). Tribulus terrestris L. (Zygophyllaceae), is commonly known as devil's thorn, cat head, puncture vine, goat head, and caltrop. It is a herbaceous, annual, prostrate or semierect, diffusely branched herb; native in dry and sandy districts in South Europe to Central Asia and in tropical and South Africa, growing in India, other warm countries such as Ceylon, desert plains, waste ground, a weed of cultivation and the Mediterranean region ^1-5.

It is used in folk medicine to increase spermatogenesis, for treatment of eye troubles, edema, abdominal distension, leucorrhea, and impotence, as an aphrodisiac, galactagogue, anti-inflammatory, antidiarrheal and diuretic ⁶.

Chemical Constituents: The chemical constituents of Tribulus terrestris include steroidal saponins, flavonoids, alkaloids, coumarins, amino and organic acids, and sterols. Their structures, 1 – 48 are shown below, and their names and the corresponding plant sources are collected in Table 1 and Fig. 1. As can been seen, steroidal saponins are the predominant constituents of T. terrestris.

This review focus on non-steroidal phyto-constituents of T. terrestris.

1. Sterols: Four phytosterols, campesterol (1), stigmasterol (2), β-sitosterol (3) and β-sitosterol glucoside (4) have been isolated from T. terrestris ^{6-9, 11, 13}.
2. Alkaloids: Sixteen alkaloids, (5-20), were obtained from the plant ^{6, 9, 10, 13-17}.
3. Flavonoids: Nineteen flavonoids (21-39), were found in terrestris ^{18, 19}. Kaempferol, quercetin and isorhamnetin and their glycosides are the most common flavonols isolated from this plant.
4. Amino Acids: Four amino acids (40-43), were isolated from this plant ²⁰.
5. Organic Acids: Two organic acids (44, 45), were obtained from the plant ¹⁰.
6. Indanone: Only one indanone (48) was obtained from the plant ⁹.
7. Coumarins: Only one coumarin; scoparon (49), was isolated from T. terrestris ⁷.
8. Other Constituents: D-(+)-pinitol (50) was obtained from terrestris ⁷.

TABLE 1: A LIST OF ISOLATED COMPOUNDS FROM TRIBULUS TERRESTRIS LINN.

FIG. 1: STRUCTURES OF CONSTITUENTS OF T. TERRESTRIS

CONCLUSION: Tribulus terrestris is widespread all over the world, and have been used in traditional folk medicine. Phytochemical investigations of this species have revealed that many components exhibit significant biological and pharmacological activities. The typical constituents of this plant are steroidal saponins, flavonoids, alkaloids, coumarins, amino and organic acids, and sterols. Further phytochemical and biological studies should be carried out on this species to elucidate their active principles and mechanisms of action of the active constituents.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: NIL

CONFLICT OF INTEREST: NIL

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    How to cite this article:

    Samy MN, Bishr MM, Ahmed AA and Kamel MS: A review of non-steroidal phytoconstituents of Tribulus terrestris. Int J Pharmacognosy 2016; 3(5): 212-16. doi: 10.13040/IJPSR.0975-8232.3(5).212-16.

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