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Phytochemistry and Pharmacological Activities of Rhodiola imbricata Edgew., a High Value Medicinal Herb of Cold Desert Himalaya

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Botanical Leads for Drug Discovery

Abstract

This present review deals with chemical constituents, biological activities and traditional uses of Rhodiola imbricata Edgew. in traditional and modern medicines. This species of plant grows at higher altitude zones of Himalayan such as in Ladakh and Kashmir regions. In total, there are 30 compounds reported from the roots and rhizomes of this plant, and major components include phenylpropanoids, flavonoids, terpenoids, phenolic acids, and phenylethanol derivatives. Pharmacological studies confirmed that R. imbricata exhibits adaptogenic, cardioprotective, anti-stress, and anti-inflammatory activities. The compounds present in plant are known to increase physical endurance, work productivity and longevity. It has been also used to treat fatigue, asthma, hemorrhage, impotence, gastrointestinal ailments, decreasing depression, preventing high altitude sickness and for stimulating the nervous system. In conclusion, R. imbricata has lots of folklore and pharmacological evidence to deal with stress and fatigue. Also there is emerging evidence for supporting radioprotective activity.

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Abbreviations

HPLC:

High-performance liquid chromatography

GC/MS:

Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry

IL:

Interleukin

TNF:

Tumor necrosis factor

PBMCs:

Peripheral blood mononuclear cells

LPS:

Lipopolysaccharides

ELI spot:

Enzyme-linked immune absorbent spot

FACS:

Fluorescence activated cell sorting

ELISA:

Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay

MCH:

Mean corpuscular hemoglobin

MCV:

Mean corpuscular volume

RDW:

Red blood cell distribution width

SOD:

Super oxide dismutase

MCHC:

Mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration

CAT:

Catalase

GPx:

Glutathione peroxidase

GSH:

Reduced glutathione

SGPT:

Serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase

SGOT:

Serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase

ALP:

Alkaline phosphatase

ME:

Methanolic extract

Aqu.:

Aqueous

EE:

Ethanolic extract

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Acknowledgment

Authors are thankful for the financial assistance from SERB, DST, Government of India (EMR/2016/002584), and IIIM project (MLP4011).

Conflict of Interest

Authors declare no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Natural Product Chemistry Division, CSIR-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine, Jammu, Jammu and Kashmir, India

    Venugopal Singamaneni, Bashir Lone & Prasoon Gupta

  2. Department of Applied Chemistry, Mahant Bachittar Singh College of Engineering and Technology, Jammu, Jammu and Kashmir, India

    Upasana Sharma

Authors
  1. Venugopal Singamaneni
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  2. Upasana Sharma
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  3. Bashir Lone
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  4. Prasoon Gupta
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Prasoon Gupta .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Plant Sciences (Biodiversity and Applied Botany Division), CSIR-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine, Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR) Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, India, Jammu, Jammu and Kashmir, India

    Bikarma Singh

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Singamaneni, V., Sharma, U., Lone, B., Gupta, P. (2020). Phytochemistry and Pharmacological Activities of Rhodiola imbricata Edgew., a High Value Medicinal Herb of Cold Desert Himalaya. In: Singh, B. (eds) Botanical Leads for Drug Discovery. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-5917-4_8

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