Bioactive Constituents and Anti-diabetic Activity of the Indian Medicinal Plant Hemidesmus indicus R. Br.: An Overview

Hemidesmus indicus R. Br. is a laticiferous, slender, and twining shrub, which is found over almost every part of India. Its roots (Anantmul - Sanskrit meaning: endless root) are particularly used extensively as a single drug and in formulations with other plants to treat several ailments. In view of the wide range of medicinal properties claimed in traditional medicine, significant efforts have been made to determine the efficacy of Hemidesmus indicus through pharmacological experiments in vitro and in vivo models. These include analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antipyretic, antioxidant, antiarthritic, hepatoprotective, antiepileptic, anticonvulsant, antiulcer, antivenom, antiacne, and antipsychotic activities. Recent studies have also established anti diabetic, anti-carcinogenic, anti-venom, and wound healing activities. Extensive phytochemical investigations have been carried out by several research groups. The present review provides an overview of the bioactive compounds of this Indian medicinal plant. Several classes of compounds, viz. triterpenoids, steroids, steroid glycosides, coumarin-lignoids, flavonoids in addition to many simpler compounds, have been isolated and characterised from different parts of H. indicus. These are listed, along with brief write-ups on isolation procedures, spectroscopical and chemical characterization, and their biological properties. Particular emphasis is given to the anti-diabetic properties associated with it, indicus root extracts, and the factors contributing to these properties