REVIEW article
Front. Mol. Biosci.
Sec. Cellular Biochemistry
This article is part of the Research TopicMolecular Perspectives on Host-Pathogen Interactions in Immune Evasion, Viral Replication, and PathogenesisView all 3 articles
Catalpol: An natural multifunctional iridoid glycoside with promising therapeutic properties
Provisionally accepted
- 1Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, China
- 2Shandong Yuze Pharmaceutical Industry Technology Research Institute Co, Dezhou, China
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Catalpol, an iridoid glycoside predominantly derived from the fresh or dried root tuber of Rehmannia glutinosa Libosch (a member of the Scrophulariaceae family), it is a representative compound with the highest content in Rehmannia glutinosa Libosch, and it is also a key index component for evaluating the quality of Rehmannia glutinosa Libosch. Since 2005, it has been continuously included in various editions of China Pharmacopoeia. In this review, we collected relevant data from the Web of Science, PubMed, China National Intellectual Property Administration and China Knowledge Resource Integrated databases in recent 5 years. Catalpol exhibits a broad range of therapeutic effects, addressing various diseases through intricate mechanisms. These include organ-and tissue-protective actions on the kidneys, bones, nervous system, heart, brain, liver, lungs, uterus, ovaries, and more, alongside notable anti-arthritis, anticancer, and anti-diabetic properties. The protective mechanisms of catalpol primarily involve its anti-inflammatory, antioxidative stress, anti-or pro-apoptotic, anti-fibrotic, metabolism-regulatory, anti-endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS), and pyroptosis-modulating functions. Furthermore, catalpol influences a variety of signaling pathways, cells, and molecules, and through these multifaceted actions, it achieves its maximal therapeutic potential. In recent years, the development of different targeted drug delivery formulations and administration routes of catalpol maximise its efficacy has become a major focus of research. What's more worth mentioning is that "catalpol tablets", a new class I Chinese medicine developed on the basis of this monomer component, has been approved to enter the clinical trial stage in China. However, in-depth investigation is required to elucidate the mechanisms of action of catalpol, and more clinical trials are required to assess the clinical value of this compound.
Keywords: Catalpol, New dosage form, novel drug delivery routes, Pharmacological activity, Safety
Received: 15 Dec 2025; Accepted: 14 Jan 2026.
Copyright: © 2026 He, Song, Ma, Zhou, Xue and Zhang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Guannan He
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.