Phytochemical screening and traditional medicinal potential of Albizia lebbeck (L.) Benth: An update

Albizia lebbeck Benth, commonly referred to as Indian Siris, is a therapeutically potential plant drug and a financially significant plant with mechanical, therapeutic uses. The leaves of the plant are a rich source of protein and are said to have significant efficacy against cancer cells. The plant contains a variety of secondary metabolites such as alkaloids, flavonoids, saponins, anthraquinones, phenols and essential oils. Pharmacological reports of the extract of A. lebbek show the diverse pharmacological effects such as anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, anti-fertility, antifungal, anthelmintic, antiulcer etc. The present review paper contains the literature on the scientific reports on the pharmacological and phytochemical importance of A. lebbek, which could be a good source of information for researchers, scientists and industry for future reference.


Introduction
Indian Siris or Koko with the scientific name Albizia lebbeck L. is an annual tree that has its place in the legume family, Fabaceae (formerly Leguminosae) and a member of the class Magnoliopsida with the subfamily Mimosoideae and the genus Albizia. The genus consists of more than 150 Albizia species, which include Siris [1]. Siris derives from the Sanskrit word Sirisha, which in ancient times was the common name of the Albizia lebbeck plant. The plant contains many phytochemicals such as flavonoids, tannins, saponins, anthraquinone glycosides, alkaloids and various essential oils etc., of which saponins show anti-cancer effects [2]. Two new phenolic glycosides, i.e., Albibrissinosides A and B, are also isolated from the stem bark of the plant Albizia and barks, leaves, seeds and pods of A. lebbeck, which shows cytotoxic activity against liver, colon, larynx, cervical and breast cancer cell lines [3]. In recent years, there has been growing interest to maximize the use of Albizia lebbeck plant wood materials for other purposes, such as developing new polymer composites from recycling waste Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) with polypropylene glycol plasticizer and waste sawdust of Albizia lebbeck Plant. New wood plastic composite was made of superior tensile strength, thermal and morphological properties obtained from 1% sawdust of reinforced plasticized waste which can work for the eco-friendly environment [4]. Recent advances in the research have proved that numerous properties such as anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antifertility, antifungal, anthelminthic, antiulcer, immunomodulatory, antiarthritic, antispasmodic, antidiarrheal, nootropic, mast cell stabilizer, antitumor, etc. are also exhibited by the various parts of the plant and these advances in the field of research will help us to further findings by making their suitable dosage and forms will help us to cure many diseases which are fatal to human beings [5]. This detailed description so mainly focuses on the pharmacological properties and utilization of the A. lebbeck plant for the human welfare.

Botany and Geographical Origin
Albizia lebbeck belongs to the genus Albizia and is native to the tropical and subtropical forests of Asia. It is found in abundance in countries such as India, Burma, Africa, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan, etc. It can be grown on any type of soil like acidic, alkaline soil and black soil. It can also be grown in any type of climate, both salty and Himalayan [6]. The roots of the plant are thick, rough and cylindrical with lenses of brownish-grey colour, a characteristic odour and an astringent taste [7]. The seeds are pale brown in colour, elliptical in shape and oblong in shape. The leaves are bipinnate in shape with glabrous or downy rachises with a large gland close to the base of the petiole. The stems of the plant are grey to dark brown with a rough and irregularly cracked surface. The bark of the cut plant can be used as gum like that of the acacia tree [8]. The pollen pods are light yellowish-brown in colour with a bare, flat structure. When they are mature, they start pollinating with the help of insects, which helps with the seeding and fruiting of the plant. The flowers are cream-colored with large stamens and appear in April-May in the form of rounded clusters on lateral stalks. The fruit develops on the plant from December to February [9].

Phytochemical Constituents
Various chemical constituents are present in the plant parts of Albizia lebbeck Benth and the following Table 1 provides information on the various phytochemical constituents [10].

Chemical Composition of Albizia lebbeck
There are various phytocomponents such as crude protein, lipids, fibre, nitrogenfree extract, ash content, moisture, etc. that are present in Albizia lebbeck, as shown in Table 2. The Low Moisture content helps in accelerated shelf life, Low content of Lipids helps in preventing rancidity so that it can be stored for longer periods. The ash content shows the quantity of minerals present is higher in the plant. Due to its chemical composition, it can be used as a good, cheap and potential source for the supplement [11].  Table 3 which are described by Adamude et.al., study [12,13].   06%. The result also shows that amount of Nitrogen is 3.24%, Carbon is 18.64%, Polyphenol is 0.57% and the ratio of Carbon and Nitrogen is 5.75 which proves it to be an effective fertilizer for the production of the maize and other grains with higher productivity [16].

Pharmacological potential of Albizzia lebbeck
Extracts from Albizzia lebbeck plant parts are beneficial for human health and various significant studies have been conducted by various researchers and have proven to be effective in treating conditions such as allergies, convulsions, fungal infections, fertility inhibitors, nootropics, anxiolytics, etc. as an immunomodulator, in inflammation, pain and acts as an antimicrobial agent against various pathogens such as Staphylococcus aureus, Proteus vulgaris, Plasmodium, etc. [41][42][43][44]. These are also helpful in treating various cancer cells such as brain tumor, colon cancer, breast cancer, liver cancer, lung cancer, melanoma, prostate cancer, osteosarcoma, etc., showing its effectiveness against various malignant tumor [45,46]. Albizia species with maximum pharmacological and therapeutic effects play a huge role in human well-being. The table below presents the pharmacological activities with different models used in the treatment of the diseases [47,48]. Albizzia lebbeck is one of the most popular trees. The traditional medicinal use of this plant dates back thousands of years. Albizzia lebbeck has been reported to have the most pharmacological effects, but hepatoprotective effects have not yet been reported, so there is an opportunity to explore this. Albizzia lebbeck has great potential as an asthma drug and in the development of novel formulations to treat inflammation, immune-boosting and asthma. Bioactive chemicals are summarized and clinically studied in Table 6, along with various possible outcomes. Submit a manuscript: https://www.tmrjournals.com/mhm

Conclusion
The results of this study proves that A. lebbeck or Indian Siris contains numerous phytochemicals constituents such as flavonoids, tannins, saponins, alkaloids, glycosides etc. with diverse biological properties that benefit humanity around the world. The review article summarizes the traditional and medicinal uses and give a detailed description about various chemical constituents present in stems bark, leaves, roots and other parts of the plant. It also gives a highlight on the amount of moisture, protein content, Fibres, Nitrogen, Lipids etc. present in the plant and also proves it can be used as a fertilizer for higher productivity of grains and also serve as a good source of supplement due to enrichment of protein content present in it. The phytochemistry and pharmacology of Albizia lebbeck species shows that different parts of the plant are also effective in different diseases as anti-analgesic, antipyretic, anti-cancer, anti-malarial, Antibiotic, anti-inflammatory, anxiolytic act, anticonvulsants etc. proven by various pharmacological studies. The detail research on isolation of bioactive chemicals and clinical study of plant extracts as well as ayurvedic/herbal formulation.