Systematic Review of Plant Steroids as Potential Anti-Inflammatory Agents: Current Status and Future Perspectives

Abstract

Plant steroids are unique class of chemical compounds that are found throughout the animal and plant kingdom. Glucocorticoids are steroidal agents used to treat inflammatory disorders; on long term treatment it produces severe side effects. In order to overcome these undesirable consequences,investigations have to be made to identify novel bioactive phytochemicals with therapeutic potential with no or significantly reduced side effects. The objective of this review is to discuss medicinal plants having anti- inflammatory activity and which contains chemical constituent such as solasodine, diosgenin, boswellic acid, glycyrrihizin, guggulsterones, withnolides or sarsasapogenin with structural similarity with glucocorticoids. These plant steroids classified in different classes based on their chemical structure, pharmacological activities and source from which they have been isolated. This review documents information on anti-inflammatory activity of plant containing steroids like chemical constituents such as Trigonella foenum graecum L. [Family: Fabaceae], Solanum xanthocarpum L. [Family: Solanaceae], Boswellia serrata Roxb. [Family: Burseraceae], Glycyrrhiza glabra L. [Family:Fabaceae], Commiphora mukul [family:Burseraceae], Withania sominifera [Family Solanaceae] by modern clinical and preclinical studies. There is an immense scope in investigation of the anti-inflammatory activity of plant steroids structurally close to glucocorticoids in various inflammatory conditions. Further investigations are needed to explore the more potent lead compounds with lesser side effects.