LEPTADENIA HASTATA (PERS) DECNE: PHYTOCHEMICAL, PHARMACOLOGICAL, BIOTECHNOLOGICAL, BOTANICAL, TRADITIONAL USE AND AGRONOMICAL ASPECTS

*Isaac John Umaru, Fasihuddin Badruddin Ahmed, Hauwa A. Umaru and Kerenhappuch I. Umaru.

ABSTRACT

Leptadenia hastata (Pers.) Decne (Asclepiadaceae), it is a traditional tropical plant species with curative potentials. Many of this medicinal plants species are used as spices, foods and medicinal purposes. It is widely used in traditional medicine to treat various ailments such as cough, dyspnea, and fever, burning sensation, night blindness, cancer, hypertension diabetics, gonorrhea, catarrh, sex potency, wound healing, inflammation and dysentery. The therapeutic potential of this herb is as a result of the presence of diverse bioactive compounds such as α-amyrin, β-amyrin, ferulic acid, luteolin, diosmetin, rutin, β-sitosterol, stigmasterol, hentriacontanol, a triterpene alcohol simiarenol, apigenin, reticulin, deniculatin, and leptaculatin. However, most of the studies on Leptadenia hastata are restricted to crude extracts, and many biologically active compounds are yet to be identified in order to claim the traditional uses of this plant as acclaimed by the herbal and traditional practitioners. The plant is threatened and endangered because of overexploitation, unscientific harvesting, and habitat loss. The increased demand from pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, academia and veterinary industries has prompted its large-scale propagation. However, its commercial cultivation is hampered because of the non-availability of genuine planting material and the lack of knowledge on its agronomical practices. However there is a need for micro propagation technique to obtain the right type of Leptadenia hastata through the knowledge of biotechnological approaches can guaranty conservation as well as increased metabolite production from Leptadenia hastata. This review summarizes scientific information on the botanical, agronomical, phytochemical, pharmacological, and biotechnological aspects of Leptadenia hastata. This knowledge of information will certainly provide better utilization of this industrially important herb towards the discovery of lead drug for diseases and ailments. However, most studies of this plant species are restricted to crude extracts, which gives room for yet unidentified compounds to appreciate the claim to evidence the base use of the plant by the traditional medical practitioners.

Keywords: Leptadenia hastata, biotechnology, phytochemical, agronomical, morphology.