REVIEW article

Front. Pharmacol., 16 August 2024

Sec. Ethnopharmacology

Volume 15 - 2024 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2024.1414635

Alpinia officinarum Hance: a comprehensive review of traditional uses, phytochemistry, pharmacokinetic and pharmacology

  • 1. Jiangsu MC Clinical Innovation Center of Degenerative Bone and Joint Disease, Wuxi TCM Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Wuxi, China

  • 2. Engineering Research Center of Tropical Medicine Innovation and Transformation of Ministry of Education and International Joint Research Center of Human-Machine Intelligent Collaborative for Tumor Precision Diagnosis and Treatment of Hainan Province and Hainan Provincial Key Laboratory of Research and Development on Tropical Herbs and Haikou Key Laboratory of Li Nationality Medicine, School of Pharmacy, Hainan Medical University, Haikou, Hainan, China

  • 3. Hubei University of Chinese Medicine Affiliated Gongan Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Wuhan, China

Abstract

The dried root and rhizome of Alpinia officinarum Hance (A. officinarum) have been widely used in traditional Chinese medicine for thousands of years to alleviate pain, promote digestion, warm the stomach, and disperse cold. This review aims to comprehensively and in-depth summarize the most recent research on the traditional uses, phytochemistry, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacology of A. officinarum. By searching various databases including Web of Science, PubMed, Google Scholar, Elsevier, Springer, ScienceDirect, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) for literature on “A. officinarum Hance,” as well as relevant textbooks and digital documents, an overall and critical review of the subject was conducted. The traditional uses of A. officinarum were summarized, and 337 compounds from A. officinarum were summarized, including flavonoids, diarylheptanoids, volatile oils, and other compounds. Studies have found that the crude extract of A. officinarum and its compounds has a wide range of biological activities, such as improving gastrointestinal function, anti-inflammatory properties, anti-tumor activity, antibacterial properties, memory enhancement, and analgesic effects. Modern pharmacological studies have provided strong evidence and explanations for the traditional medicinal uses of A. officinarum, which brings a broad prospect for its medicinal use. However, more research is needed to explore the structure-activity relationship and potential mechanisms of action of its bioactive chemicals. Furthermore, it is essential to conduct more clinical trials in order to accelerate research and development of the drug.

1 Introduction

With the development of the times, people are increasingly focusing on their wellbeing. The advancement of medical technology has also begun to attract attention. While new drugs for various diseases are constantly being developed, people are actively exploring alternative therapies and natural products due to the toxic side effects of chemical drugs and the uncontrollable risks of biological agents. Alpinia officinarum Hance (A. officinarum), native to China, is one of the most important species of the Zingiberaceae family, which is widely distributed in Fujian, Taiwan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, and other provinces in China (Sun et al., 2023; Zheng et al., 2024). The detailed description of the medical applications of A. officinarum can be traced back to the book “Ming Yi Bie Lu,” which was written during the Han Dynasty (Tao, 1986). As a medicinal part, the aromatic rhizome of A. officinarum mainly belongs to the spleen and stomach meridians and was widely used in the treatment of gastrointestinal diseases in ancient China (Tushar et al., 2010; Al Garni et al., 2024).

Botanical drugs have been widely used to treat many diseases for centuries due to their obvious effectiveness, fewer side effects, and relatively low cost. A. officinarum is known for its extensive clinical applications because it contains a variety of bioactive substances, including flavonoids, diarylheptanoids, volatile oils, phenylpropanoids, and glycosides (Pillai et al., 2018; Wen et al., 2024). Flavonoids and diarylheptanoids are its main components and have been proven to have a variety of pharmacological effects (Abubakar et al., 2018). In this paper, the traditional uses, chemical components, and biological activities of A. officinarum were reviewed comprehensively, which provide better guidance for the rational utilization of it.

2 Traditional efficacy and application of A. officinarum

A. officinarum, which is also known as “Liangjiang” and “Xiaoliangjiang,” was first recorded in the “Ming Yi Bie Lu” during the Han Dynasty (Tao, 1986). As shown in Table 1, the properties of A. officinarum have mainly been described as pungent and warm, while in some ancient books, there have been occasional records of “bitter”. It has been recorded in ancient books that A. officinarum mainly enters the two meridians of the spleen and stomach, but rarely enters the heart, liver and Danzhong meridians. The records of A. officinarum in modern works on herbal all belong to the spleen and stomach meridians. Through the analysis of the records of the efficacy of A. officinarum in ancient and modern Chinese botanical drug, it was found that its common features in terms of efficacy are warming the stomach, dispelling cold, relieving pain, regulating qi, stopping vomiting, and alleviating diarrhea. And, A. officinarum is commonly used to treat epigastric cold pain, vomiting, diarrhea, and food stagnation.

TABLE 1

DynastyBook titleAuthorProperty and tasteMeridian tropismEfficacy and applicationReference
Han DynastyMing Yi Bie LuHongjing TaoHotViolent cold, coldness in the stomach, abdominal pain caused by choleraTao (1986)
Northern and Southern DynastiesBen Cao Jin Ji ZhuHongjing TaoHotThe same as the record of “Ming Yi Bie Lu”Tao (1994)
Sui and Tang DynastiesXin Xiu Ben CaoJing SuHotThe same as the record of “Ming Yi Bie Lu”Su (1981)
Ben Cao Shi YiZangqi ChenPungent, warmSpleen and stomach meridiansExsufflation, dysentery and choleraChen (1983)
Song, Jin and Yuan DynastiesKai Bao Ben CaoHan Liu, Zhi MaHotThe same as the record of “Ming Yi Bie Lu”Liu and Ma (1998)
Ming DynastyClassified materia medicaShenwei TangHotThe same as the record of “Ming Yi Bie Lu”Tang (1982)
Tang Ye Ben CaoHaogu WangPungent, hotColdness in the stomach, abdominal pain caused by cholera, nausea, diarrhea, exsufflation and digestionWang (1998)
Dian Nan Ben CaoMao LanPungent, warmSpleen and stomach meridiansStomachache caused by qi or coldLan (1975)
Ben Cao Meng QuanJiamo ChenPungent, bitter, hotInvigorating spleen to promote digestion, cholera, diarrhea, nausea, coldness and pain of the abdomenZhang (1998)
Compendium of materia medicaShizhen LiPungent, hotSpleen and stomach meridiansInvigorating the spleen and stomach, relieving dysphagia, breaking cold addiction, malariaLi (2008)
Ben Cao Hui YanZhumo NiPungent, hotSpleen and stomach meridiansDispelling cold and dampness, warming spleen and stomachNi (2015)
Jing Yue Quan ShuJingyue ZhangPungent, hotSpleen and stomach meridiansStomach cold, vomiting, cholera, abdominal pain, antialcoholicZhang (2006)
Ben Cao Tong XuanZhongzi LiPungent, warmSpleen and stomach meridiansStop vomiting, diarrhea, eliminating malaria, elimination of overeatingLi (2015)
Qing DynastyBen Cao Yi DuRenan WangPungent, bitter, hotSpleen and stomach meridiansPromoting digestion, invigorating the spleen, Cold abdominal pain, vomitingWang (1987)
Ben Jing Feng YuanLu ZhangPungent, hotSpleen and stomach meridiansWarming the spleen and stomach, stomach cold, cholera, abdominal painZhang (2007)
Ben Cao Ze Yao Gang MuJiefan JiangPungent, hotSpleen and stomach meridiansCold reflux in the stomach, cholera, abdominal painJiang (1985)
Ben Cao Xin BianShiduo ChenPungent, hotHeart, dan zhong, spleen and stomach meridiansInvigorating the spleen and stomach, stomach cold, diarrhea, abdominal painChen (2008)
Yu Qiu Yao JieYuanyu HuangPungent, warmSpleen and stomach meridiansCold dampness of spleen and stomach, vomiting, cholera, malaria, dysentery, choking, malariaHuang (2017)
Ben Cao Cong XinYiluo WuPungent, hotWarm the stomach and dissipate cold, cold pain in stomach ductWu (2001)
De Pei Ben CaoJie YanPungent, hotSpleen and stomach meridiansCold pain in stomach duct, cholera, diarrheum, malariaYan (1997)
Ben Cao Qiu ZhenGongxiu HuangPungent, hotStomach meridianWarming the stomach and eliminating food, treating cholera and diarrhea, vomiting and malariaHuang (2012)
Ben Cao Hai LiHuan LingPungent, warm, hotSpleen, stomach, and liver meridiansWarming the stomach to remove choking diaphragm, heartache, malariaLing (1982)
Ben Cao Bian DuBingcheng ZhangPungent, warmSpleen and stomach meridiansCold pain in the stomach and vomitingZhang (1958)
ModernChinese pharmacopoeia 2015National pharmacopoeia committeePungent, hotSpleen and stomach meridiansCold abdominal pain, stomach cold vomiting, belching acidChinese Pharmacopoeia Commission (2015)
Chinese materia medicaLiren Song, Yigu Wu, lie HuPungent, hotSpleen and stomach meridiansCold abdominal pain, vomiting, belchingSong (1999)
Great dictionary of chinese medicineMingsan Miao, Yuxin Sun, Xiaotian WangPungent, warmSpleen and stomach meridiansCold spleen and stomach, cold abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, food stagnation, malariaJiangsuNewMedicalCollege (1999)
National compendium of chinese herbsZongwan Xie, Cuisheng Fan, Zhaoyi ZhuPungent, warmCold stomach pain, acute gastroenteritis, sweat stainCGONCHM. Compilation (1996)
Zhong Yao ZhiPharmaceutical institute of the academy of medical science of chinaPungent, warmCold spleen and stomach, chest and abdomen pain, vomiting, choking, dyspepsia, diarrheaSciences (1959)

Medicinal properties, meridian tropism, and efficacy of A. officinarum.

A. officinarum has been widely used in clinics due to its compatibility in many prescriptions, as shown in Table 2. A. officinarum is mainly used to warm the spleen and stomach, such as in Er Jiang Pill (Liu, 2017), which can nourish the spleen and stomach, remove cold, and eliminate phlegm, and cure all injuries caused by cold. Such prescriptions also include Wenzhong Liangjiang Pill (Liu, 2017) and Qing Zao San (Zhu, 2003). A. officinarum is a pungent and hot substance that is a pure yang product. It enters the spleen and stomach meridians, which can warm the stomach, reduce reflux and stop vomiting, and strengthen the spleen and stop diarrhea. For example, Ding Qi San (Zhao, 2018) is suitable for vomiting induced by typhoid. This type of prescription also includes Bi Cheng Qie San (Dou, 2015). A. officinarum can also enter the heart and Dan zhong, so it can enter the heart and pericardial meridian to warm and circulate qi. The prescriptions suitable for these kinds of conditions are Liang Fu Pill (Xie, 1990) and Gao Liang Jiang Decoction (Sun, 1955). With its fragrant and warm properties, A. officinarum can dissipate the cold, relieve pain, and promote qi. For example, Tian Tai Wu Yao San (Li, 1959) is applicable to the syndrome of cold coagulation and qi stagnation in the liver meridian. A. officinarum also has the effect of dispelling wind and relieving pain. The Qun Xun San, composed of A. officinarum and scorpion, has significant therapeutic effects on wind-induced toothache and swelling and pain in the cheek (Wang, 2003). In addition, A. officinarum has certain effects of warming the kidney and enhancing Yang. A. officinarum is compatible with Tetradium ruticarpum (A. Juss.) T. G. Hartley, which can warm the kidneys and dispel cold, and treat kidney deficiencies and waist pain. This type of prescription also includes Baji Pill (Liu, 2017).

TABLE 2

Book titlePrescription nameCompositionTherapeutic applicationReference
Tai Ping Hui Min He Ji Ju FangEr Jiang PillA. officinarum, Zingiber oj-jicinale RoscNourish the spleen and warming the stomach, removing cold and eliminating phlegm, treating the pain of heart and spleen, and all injuries caused by coldLiu (2017)
Wen Zhong Liang Jiang PillA. officinarum, Rhizoma Zingiberis Preparata, Atractylodes macrocephala Koidz., Cinnamomum cassia (L.) D. Don, Glycyrrhizae Praeparata cum Melle Radix et RhizomaCold phlegm gathering, Qi stagnation, vomiting after eating, vomiting, cold diarrhea, colic and tingling lateral thorax
Ba Ji PillA. officinarum, Kadsura longipedunculata Finet and Gagnep., Morinda officinalis F. C. How, Cinnamomum cassia (L.) D. Don, Tetradium ruticarpum (A. Juss.) T. G. HartleyDeficiency of Yuan Qi, heavy waist and crotch, night sweat, chronic uterine coldness, irregular menses, leucorrhea, leukorrhea with bloody discharge
Zhu Shi Ji Yan FangQing Zao SanA. officinarum, Zingiber oj-jicinale Rosc, Citrus reticulata Blanco, Glycyrrhiza uralensis FischDiarrhea, swelling and pain in the chest and abdomenZhu (2003)
Sheng Ji Zong LuDing Qi SanA. officinarum, Alpinia katsumadai Hayata, Aucklandia lappa Decne., Glycyrrhiza uralensis FischVomiting during typhoid feverZhao (2018)
Bian Que Xin ShuBi Cheng Qie SanA. officinarum, Piper cubeba L.f., Cinnamomum cassia (L.) D. Don, Syringa oblata Lindl., Magnolia officinalis Rehd.et Wils., Platycodon grandiflorus (Jacq.) A.DC, Citrus reticulata Blanco, Sparganium stoloni erum, Buch. -Ham., Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch., Cyperus rotundus LDeficiency of spleen and stomach, stabbing pain of chest and abdomen, dilatation of both sides of the chest, dizziness, fatigued cumbersome limbs, fever, diarrheaDou (2015)
Liang Fang Ji YeLiang Fu PillA. officinarum, Cyperus rotundus Lliver depression and Qi stagnation, stomach cold coagulation, epigastric painXie (1990)
Bei Ji Qian Jin Yao FangGao Liang Jiang DecoctionA. officinarum, Magnolia officinalis Rehd.et Wils., Angelica sinensis (Oliv.) Diels, GuixinA sudden cramp in the chest and abdomen, the unbearable boredom of both costal branchesSun (1955)
Yi Xue Fa MingTian Tai Wu Yao SanA. officinarum, Lindera aggregata (Sims) Kosterm., Aucklandia costus Falc., Foeniculum vuLgare Mill., Citrus reticulata Blanco, Areca catechu L., MeLia toosendanSieb.et Zucc., Croton tiglium LCold coagulation and Qi stagnation of liver meridianLi (1959)
Shi Zhai Bai Yi Xuan FangQun Xun SanA. officinarum, Buthus martensii KarschWind-toothache, swelling and pain of cheekWang (2003)
Sheng Ji Zong LuWa Na Qi SanA. officinarum, Callorhimus ursinus Linnaeus, Tetradium ruticarpum (A. Juss.) T. G. Hartley, Nardostachys jatamansi (D. Don) DC., Citrus reticulata BlancoDeficiency of the kidney, Qi deficiency of heart and spleen, intolerable cold pain of small intestineZhao (2018)

Prescription name, composition and therapeutic application of A. officinarum.

3 Chemical composition

Up to now, 337 chemical compounds have been extracted from A. officinarum, mainly including flavonoids, diarylheptanoids, phenylpropanes, glycosides, volatile oil, and other compounds.

3.1 Flavonoids

Flavonoid is one of the main components in A. officinarum. A large number of flavonoids were isolated from A. officinarum, which are also the main active components in it. Until now, 21 flavonoids have been isolated, including 18 flavones, 2 flavanones, and 1 flavanol, as shown in Figure 1 and Table 3.

FIGURE 1

TABLE 3

NO.CompoundReferenceNO.CompoundReference
1GalanginAn et al., 2006a; An (2008), Guo et al. (2010)12Kaempferide-4′-methylether-3-glucopyranosideAn (2008)
2KaempferolBu et al. (2000)13IsoquercitrinWei et al. (2018)
3Galangin-3-O-methyletherAn et al. (2006a)14RutinTan et al. (2015)
4QuercetinAn (2008)15Kaempferide-4′-O-methyletherBu et al. (2000)
5ApigeninZhao et al. (2007)16Quercetin-3-O-methyletherGuo et al. (2010)
6ChrysinTan et al. (2015)17RhamnocitrinBleier and Chirikdjian (1972), Shen et al., 1998; An (2008)
7AcacetinTan et al. (2015)187-hydroxy-3,5-dimethoxyflavoneGuo et al. (2010)
8TectochrysinTan et al. (2015)19PinocembrinAn et al. (2006a)
9KaempferideTan et al. (2015)20DihydrogalanginolTushar et al. (2010)
10IsorhamnetinBleier and Chirikdjian (1972)21CatechinZhao (2018)
11Galangin 3-O-glucosideAn (2008)

The flavonoids of A. officinarum.

3.2 Diarylheptanoids

Diarylheptanoid is a group of compounds that contain a 1,7-disubstituted aromatic ring and a heptane skeleton and is an important chemical component of A. officinarum. At present, 49 diarylheptanoid compounds have been isolated from A. officinarum, including 42 chain diarylheptanoids, six cyclic diarylheptanoids, and one polymer of diarylheptanoid and flavonoid, as shown in Figure 2 and Table 4.

FIGURE 2

TABLE 4

NO.CompoundReferenceNO.CompoundReference
221-phenyl-7-(4″-hydroxyphenyl)-3-heptanoneHideji et al. (1985)471-(4′,5′-dihydroxy-3′-methoxyphenyl)-7-phenyl 3,5-heptanediolAn (2008)
231-phenyl-7-(4″-hydroxy-3″-methoxyphenyl)-3-heptanoneKiuchi et al. (1992)48(3R,5R)-1-(3′,4′-dihydroxyphenyl)-7-(4″-hydroxyphenyl)-3,5-heptanediolAn (2008)
245-hydroxy-1,7-bisphenyl-3-heptanoneSun et al. (2008)49(3R,5R)-1-(4′-hydroxy-3′-methoxyphenyl)-7-(3″,4″-dihydroxyphenyl)-3,5-heptanediolTian et al. (2009)
255-hydroxy-1-phenyl-7 - (4″-hydroxyphenyl)-3-heptanoneAn et al. (2006b)501,7-bis-(4′-hydroxy-3′-methoxyphenyl)-3,5-heptanediolTian et al. (2009)
265-hydroxy-1-phenyl-7 - (3″, 4″-dihydroxyphenyl)-3-heptanoneSawamura et al. (2010)513,5-diacetoxy-1-(4′,5′-dihydroxy-3′-methoxyphenyl)-7-(3″,4″- dihydroxyphenyl)-heptaneAn (2008)
275-hydroxy-1-phenyl-7-(4″- hydroxy-3″-methoxyphenyl)-3-heptanoneMatsuda et al. (2009)521,7-diphenyl-4-hepten-3-oneAn (2008)
285-hydroxy-1-phenyl-7-(4″,5″-dihydroxy-3″-methoxyphenyl)-3-heptanoneTian et al. (2009)531-phenyl-7-(4″-hydroxyphenyl)-4-hepten-3-oneSun et al. (2008)
295-hydroxy-1-(4′-hydroxy-3′-methoxyphenyl)-7-(4″-hydroxyphenyl)-3-heptanoneSun et al. (2008)541-phenyl-7-(4″-hydroxy-3″-methoxyphenyl)-4-hepten-3-oneSun et al. (2008)
305-hydroxy-1-(4′-hydroxyphenyl)-7-(4″-hydroxy-3″-methoxyphenyl)-3-heptanoneShin et al. (2002)551-phenyl-7-(4″,5″-dihydroxy-3″-methoxyphenyl)-4-hepten-3-oneSawamura et al. (2010)
315-hydroxy-1,7-bis - (4′- hydroxy-3′-methoxyphenyl)-3-heptanoneHideji et al. (1985)561-(4′-hydroxyphenyl)-7-(4″-hydroxy-3″-methoxyphenyl)-4-hepten-3-oneSawamura et al. (2010)
325-hydroxy-1-(3′,4′-dihydroxyphenyl)-7-(4″-hydroxy-3″- methoxyphenyl)-3-heptanoneTian et al. (2009)571-(4′-hydroxy-3′-methoxyphenyl)-7-(3″,4″-dihydroxyphenyl)-4-hepten-3-oneTian et al. (2009)
335-hydroxy-1-(4′-hydroxy-3′-methoxyphenyl)-7-(4″,5″-dihydroxy-3″-methoxyphenyl)-3-heptanoneAn (2008)585-hydroxy-1-phenyl-7-(4″-hydroxy-3″-methoxyphenyl)-4-hepten-3-oneAn (2008)
341,7-diphenyl-3,5-heptanedioneAn (2008)591,7-diphenyl-5-hepten-3-oneZhang et al. (2010)
351- (4′-hydroxyphenyl)-7-phenyl-3,5-heptanedioneAn (2008)605-hydroxy-1,7-bisphenyl-4,6-heptadien-3-oneAn et al. (2006b)
361-(4′-hydroxy-3′-methoxyphenyl)-7-phenyl-3,5-heptanedioneAn (2008)615-hydroxy-1-(4′-hydroxy-3′-methoxyphenyl)-7-phenyl-4,6-heptadiene-3-oneAn et al. (2006b)
375-methoxy-1,7-bisphenyl-3-heptanoneTian et al. (2009)621-(4′-hydroxy-3′-methoxyphenyl)-7-phenyl-1-hepten-3-oneKiuchi et al. (1992)
385-methoxy-1-phenyl-7-(4″-hydroxyphenyl)-3-heptanoneTian et al. (2009)634-phenethyl-1,7-bisphenyl-1-heptene-3,5-dioneZhang et al. (2010)
395-methoxy-1-phenyl-7-(4″-hydroxy-3″-methoxyphenyl)-3-heptanoneTian et al. (2009)642-hydroxy-1,7-bisphenyl-4-hepten-3-oneSun et al. (2008)
405-methoxy-1-(4′-hydroxyphenyl)-7-(4″-hydroxy-3″-methoxyphenyl)-3-heptanoneTian et al. (2009)65officinarumane AAn (2008)
415-acetoxy-1-phenyl-7-(4″-hydroxyphenyl)-3-heptanoneAn (2008)66officinarumane BAn (2008)
425-ethoxy-1-phenyl-7- (4″-hydroxy-3″-methoxyphenyl)-3 heptanoneLiu and Liu (2016)67officinarumane CAn (2008)
431,7-diphenyl-3,5-heptanediolMatsuda et al. (2009)682-benzyl-5-phenylethyl furanShen et al. (1998)
44(3R,5R)-1-(4′-hydroxyphenyl)-7-phenyl-3,5-heptadiolUehara et al. (1987)69officininWei et al. (2016)
45(3R,5R)-1,7-bis-(4′-hydroxyphenyl)-3,5-heptanediolTian et al. (2009)70(5R,5′R)-7,7'-(6,6′-dihydroxy-5,5′-dimethoxy [1,1′-biphenyl]-3,3′-diyl)bis [5-methoxy-1-phenylheptan-3-one]Sun et al. (2008)
461-(4′-hydroxy-3′-methoxyphenyl)-7-phenyl-3,5-heptanediolTian et al. (2009)

The structure of diarylheptanoids in A. officinarum.

3.3 Volatile oil

A. officinarum is a type of pungent and warm botanical drugs with a high content of volatile oil. Its spicy scent is one of the indicators used to judge the quality of this herbal medicine. At present, 241 volatile oils have been separated from A. officinarum, mainly including terpenoids (monoterpenes, sesquiterpenoids), aldehydes, ketones, ethers, alcohols, phenols, and other compounds, as shown in Table 5.

TABLE 5

NO.Compound nameReferenceNO.Compound nameReference
711,8- EucalyptolGao et al. (2012), Dong and Cai (2015), Zou et al. (2018)192isopentyl isovalerateZhai et al. (2014a), Zou et al. (2018)
72camphene hydrateDong and Cai (2015), Zou et al. (2018)1932-methylbutyl valerateZou et al. (2018)
73(+)-borneolGao et al. (2012),Zhai et al. (2014a)1942-methylbutyric acid-3-methylbutyl esterZou et al. (2018)
74IsoborneolZou et al. (2018)195linalyl acetateGao et al. (2012)
75alpha-terpineolYuan et al. (2016), Zou et al. (2018)196isobutyl 2-methylbutyrateZhai et al. (2014a), Zou et al. (2018)
76BorneolZou et al. (2018)197cis-3-hexenyl acetateZhai et al. (2014a)
77β-pineneDong and Cai (2015), Zou et al. (2018)198bornyl acetateGao et al. (2012), Zou et al. (2018)
78campheneZhai et al. (2014a), Dong and Cai (2015), Zou et al. (2018)199benzaldehydeDong and Cai (2015)
79terpinoleneDong and Cai (2015), Yuan et al. (2016), Zou et al. (2018)200phenylpropanalDong and Cai (2015), Tang et al. (2021)
80alpha-fencheneDong and Cai (2015)2015-hydroxymethylfurfuralDong and Cai (2015)
81gamma-terpineneGao et al. (2012), Dong and Cai (2015), Yuan et al. (2016)202uronic acidZou et al. (2018), Tang et al. (2021)
82PineneZou et al. (2018)203sweet neralYuan et al. (2016)
83(R)-(+)-limoneneZou et al. (2018)2041,1-diethoxyethaneTang et al. (2021)
84(+)-3-careneZou et al. (2018)205p-methylphenyl isopropanolDong and Cai (2015), Zou et al. (2018)
85alpha-terpineneGao et al. (2012), Zhai et al. (2014a), Yuan et al. (2016)2064-phenyl-2-butanolZou et al. (2018)
863-careneZou et al. (2018)2071-methyl-4-(1-methylvinyl)cyclohexanolcZou et al. (2018)
87tricyclo [2.2.1.0 (2,6)]heptane,1,7,7-trimethyl-Zhai et al. (2014a),Zou et al. (2018)208octatriacontyl trifluoroacetateZou et al. (2018)
88phellandreneZou et al. (2018)209(−)-4-terpineolDong and Cai (2015), Zou et al. (2018)
89(−)-α-pineneZhai et al. (2014a), Yuan et al. (2016), Zou et al. (2018)210cuminolGao et al. (2012), Zou et al. (2018)
903,7-dimethyl-1,3,6-octatrieneDong and Cai (2015), Zou et al. (2018)2112,6,6-trimethyl-bicyclo [3.1.1]heptane-2,3-diolGao et al. (2012)
91limoneneGao et al. (2012), Yuan et al. (2016)2122,3-butanediolTang et al. (2021)
92beta-phellandreneGao et al. (2012)213alpha-juniperolGao et al. (2012), Yuan et al. (2016)
93(−)-camheneZou et al. (2018)214linaloolYuan et al. (2016), Zou et al. (2018)
94α-thujeneYuan et al. (2016)215trans-rosinolYuan et al. (2016)
95β-pineneYuan et al. (2016)216(Z)-linalool oxideYuan et al. (2016)
96β-myrceneYuan et al. (2016)217L-linaloolYuan et al. (2016)
972, 6-dimethyl-1, 3, 7-octadieneZhai et al. (2014a)2182,3-butanediolTang et al. (2021)
98(+)-M-mentha-1.8-dieneZhai et al. (2014a)219camphorDong and Cai (2015), Yuan et al. (2016), Zou et al. (2018)
99(+)-4-careneZou et al. (2018)220benzyl acetoneDong and Cai (2015), Zou et al. (2018), Tang et al. (2021)
100O-cymeneZou et al. (2018)221methylheptenoneZhai et al. (2014a), Zou et al. (2018)
101valencia orangeeneGao et al. (2012), Dong and Cai (2015)2225-hydroxymethyl-2(5H)-furanoneTang et al. (2021)
1021-caryophylleneGao et al. (2012), Dong and Cai (2015), Yuan et al. (2016)223(1S)-(−)-camphor bicyclo [2.2.1]heptan-2-one,1,7,7-trimethyl-, (1S)Zou et al. (2018)
103γ-elemeneDong and Cai (2015)2244-methyl-5-nonanoneZou et al. (2018)
104(+)-fumeneGao et al. (2012), Dong and Cai (2015)2253-butylene-1(3H)-isobenzofuranoneDong and Cai (2015)
105α-farneseneDong and Cai (2015), Yuan et al. (2016)2266-methyl-5-hepten-2-oneYuan et al. (2016)
106(−)-β-hupereneTang et al. (2021)2272-methoxy-4-vinylphenolTang et al. (2021)
107longifoleneGao et al. (2012), Dong and Cai (2015)228paeonolDong and Cai (2015)
108phenylethanolTang et al. (2021)2292,6-di-tert-butyl-p-cresolZou et al. (2018)
109γ-muuroleneYuan et al. (2016), Zou et al. (2018)2302,2′-methylenebis (6-tert-butyl-p-cresol)Zou et al. (2018)
110naphthalene,1,2,3,4,4a,5,6,8a-octahydro-4a,8-dimethyl-2-(1-methylethenyl)-, [2R-(2α,4aα,8aβ)]Zou et al. (2018)231naphthalene,1,2,3,4,4a,5,6,8a-octahydro-7-methyl-4-methylene-1-(1-methylethyl)-, (1α,4aβ,8aα)Zou et al. (2018)
111γ-selineneGao et al. (2012), Zou et al. (2018)2324-ethyl-2-methoxyphenolGao et al. (2012)
112(E)-alpha-bergamoteneZou et al. (2018)233hirsuteneYuan et al. (2016)
1131,6-cyclodecadiene,1-methyl-5-methylene-8-(1-methylethyl)-, [S-(E,E)]Zou et al. (2018)234(1,7,7-trimethylnorbornane-2-YL) acetate bicyclo [2.2.1]heptan-2-ol,1,7,7-trimethyl-, 2-acetateZou et al. (2018)
114(−)-alpha-piperoleneYuan et al. (2016),Zou et al. (2018)235AR-curcumeneZhai et al. (2014a)
115α-elemeneZou et al. (2018)2363,5-dimethoxytolueneDong and Cai (2015)
1162,6-dimethyl-6-(4-methyl-3-pentenyl) bicyclo [3.1.1]hept-2-eneZou et al. (2018)237safroleDong and Cai (2015)
117(−)-alpha-gureneneGao et al. (2012), Dong and Cai (2015)238palmitic acidDong and Cai (2015)
118α-amorpheneZou et al. (2018)239acetamic acidTang et al. (2021)
119α-caryophylleneDong and Cai (2015), Yuan et al. (2016)2403,6-dimethyl-2,3,3a,4,5,7a-hexahydrobenzofuranZou et al. (2018)
120α-IlanoleneGao et al. (2012)2411,2,3,4-tetrahydronaphthaleneZou et al. (2018)
121(−)-isosativeneGao et al. (2012)242anetholeZou et al. (2018)
122isoflaveneGao et al. (2012)243octadecaneZou et al. (2018)
123α-longleaf pineneGao et al. (2012)244nonadecaneDong and Cai (2015), Zou et al. (2018)
124α-guaieneGao et al. (2012)245eicosanZou et al. (2018)
125γ-gureneneGao et al. (2012)246hecosaneZou et al. (2018)
126beta-junipereneGao et al. (2012)247docosaneZou et al. (2018)
127aristolocheneGao et al. (2012)248pentacosaneZou et al. (2018)
128(+)-horneneGao et al. (2012)249trisaneZou et al. (2018)
129epizonareneGao et al. (2012)250tetracosaneZou et al. (2018)
130β-cedreneGao et al. (2012)251hexadecaneZou et al. (2018)
131delta-junipereneGao et al. (2012), Yuan et al. (2016)2521-docoseneZou et al. (2018)
132calameneGao et al. (2012)253cholesta-3,5-dieneZou et al. (2018)
133alpha-elemeneGao et al. (2012)2542,3-dihydrobenzofuranTang et al. (2021)
134(−)-isopreneGao et al. (2012)2552,4-cyclohexadien-1-one,3,5-bis(1,1-dimethylethyl)-4-hydroxy-Zou et al. (2018)
135neosyringatricycloneGao et al. (2012)2562,4-dimethylbenzo[h]quinolineZou et al. (2018)
136ylangeneYuan et al. (2016)257tolueneZou et al. (2018)
137α-copaeneZhai et al. (2014a), Yuan et al. (2016)2582,4-dimethylstyreneDong and Cai (2015)
138β-elemeneYuan et al. (2016)259(1R,2S,3S)-1,2-dimethyl-3-isopropenylcyclopentanolZou et al. (2018)
139santaleneYuan et al. (2016)260t-cadinolZou et al. (2018)
140trans-bergamoteneYuan et al. (2016)261β-santalolGao et al. (2012)
141fragraneneYuan et al. (2016)262pentanoic acid,2-ethylhexyl esterZou et al. (2018)
142geranene DYuan et al. (2016)263decane, 3,3,6-trimethyl-Zou et al. (2018)
143cyclic isofoleneYuan et al. (2016)2642-dodecen-1-yl succinic anhydrideZou et al. (2018)
144beta-selineneYuan et al. (2016)2652-octylcyclopropaneoctanalZou et al. (2018)
145β-bisaboleneYuan et al. (2016)2663-methyloctadecaneZou et al. (2018)
146β-panasinseneYuan et al. (2016)2671H-pyrrole, 1-butyl-Zou et al. (2018)
147γ-cadineneYuan et al. (2016)268bergamotenolZou et al. (2018)
148selina-3,7 (11)-dieneYuan et al. (2016)269methyl eugenolZou et al. (2018)
149germacrene BYuan et al. (2016)2702-hydroxy-1,8-cineoleYuan et al. (2016)
150allomanereneZhai et al. (2014a)271(E)-linalool oxide (furanoid)Zhai et al. (2014a)
151α-amorpheneZhai et al. (2014a)272(cis)-2-methyl-2-vinyl-5-isopropyl-tetrahydrofuranZhai et al. (2014a)
152caryophyllene oxideDong and Cai (2015),Yuan et al. (2016)273juniper camphorZou et al. (2018)
1532-methyl-1-propanol butyrateDong and Cai (2015)274α-bergamotolYuan et al. (2016)
154bornyl L-acetateZhai et al. (2014a),Dong and Cai (2015)2755-hydroxy-1,7-diphenyl-3-heptanoneYuan et al. (2016)
155acetate-(4-phenyl)-2-butyl esterDong and Cai (2015)276(E,E)-2,6-dimethyl-2,6-octadienedialZhai et al. (2014a)
156methyl cinnamateDong and Cai (2015)2773-methylene-6-hepten-2-oneZhai et al. (2014a)
157methyl isovalerateDong and Cai (2015)2781-cmethylene-6-hepten-2-oneZhai et al. (2014a)
158isobutyl isobutyrateZhai et al. (2014a),Zou et al. (2018)2791-nonyneZhai et al. (2014a)
159fenugreek acetateDong and Cai (2015),Zou et al. (2018),Tang et al. (2021)2804-(2-oxopropyl) cycloheptan-1-oneZhai et al. (2014a)
1602-phenylethyl isobutyrateYuan et al. (2016),Zou et al. (2018)281longanineZhai et al. (2014a)
161methyl myristateZou et al. (2018)282benzoic acid,2,4-bis [(trimethylsilyl) oxy]-, teimethysilyl esterZou et al. (2018)
162phenethyl butyrateZou et al. (2018)283octadecylcyclononane siloxaneZou et al. (2018)
163ethylene glycol dimethacrylateZou et al. (2018)284borneol chlorideGao et al. (2012)
164isobutyl isovalerateYuan et al. (2016),Zou et al. (2018)2851-chlorodocosane behenyl chlorideZou et al. (2018)
165isoamyl isobutyrateZhai et al. (2014a),Yuan et al. (2016),Zou et al. (2018)286butyl isothiocyanateZou et al. (2018)
166amyl valerateZou et al. (2018)2872-bromo-4,5-dimethoxycinnamic acidZou et al. (2018)
167isobutyl benzoateYuan et al. (2016),Zou et al. (2018)2882-benzylimidazolineZou et al. (2018)
1682-phenylethyl isovalerateZhai et al. (2014a),Yuan et al. (2016),Zou et al. (2018)289cyclopentacarbazideZou et al. (2018)
1692-methylbutyric acid-2-phenethyl esterZou et al. (2018)2904-amino-5-cyano-7-(beta-d-ribofuranose) pyrrolo [2,3-day] pyrimidine toyocamycinZou et al. (2018)
170N-phenylacetamideGao et al. (2012)29110S,11S-cedar-3 (12)-dieneDong and Cai (2015)
171isocineoleGao et al. (2012)292androst-5,15-dien-3ol acetateZou et al. (2018)
1721-methyl-4-(1-methylethyl)-1,3-cyclohexadieneGao et al. (2012)293borneol, trifluoroacetateZou et al. (2018)
173aminobenzyl alcoholGao et al. (2012)294benzamide,2,3,4-trifluoro-N-methyl-N-phenyl-Zou et al. (2018)
174SeseleneGao et al. (2012)295bicyclo [2.2.1]heptane,2-chloro-1,7,7-trimethyl-, (1R-endo)-Zou et al. (2018)
175trans-1,3-diphenylcyclobutaneGao et al. (2012)2961,3,5,7,9-pentaethylbicyclo [5.3.1] pentasiloxaneZou et al. (2018)
176β-chlorophyleneGao et al. (2012)297silane, (2-ethynylphenyl) trimethyl-Zou et al. (2018)
1771,4-bis [methyl (tetramethylene)silyloxy]butaneGao et al. (2012)2981-cyano-N-fluoroformimidoyl fluoride (anti)Zou et al. (2018)
178citronellaGao et al. (2012)2993,6-dimethyl-2,3,3a,4,5,7a-hexahydrobenzofuranZou et al. (2018)
1793,7 (11)-epipindieneGao et al. (2012)300ethyl 2-(5-methyl-5-vinyltetrahydrofuran-2-yl) propan-2-yl carbonateZou et al. (2018)
180thorneneGao et al. (2012)3013-quinolinecarboxylic acid,6,8-difluoro-4-hydroxy-, ethyl esterZou et al. (2018)
181spiroterpene alcoholGao et al. (2012)302trimethylsilyl 3-methyl 4-[(trimethylsilyl) oxy] benzoateZou et al. (2018)
182(1α,4aα,8aα)-1,2,3,4,4a,5,6,8a-octahydro-7-methyl-4-methylene-1-(1-methylethyl)-naphthaleneGao et al. (2012)303oxirane,2-methyl-3-phenyl-Zou et al. (2018)
1833,8-dimethyl-5-(1-methylethyl)-1,2-naphthalenedioneGao et al. (2012)304cyclobutanecarboxylic acid,2-phenylethyl esterZou et al. (2018)
184(4aR-trans)-1,2,3,4,4a,5,6,8a-octahydro-4a,8-dimethyl-2-(1-methylethylene)-naphthaleneGao et al. (2012)3054-nitrobenzoylmethyl-β-phenylpropionateZou et al. (2018)
185γ-longleaf pineneGao et al. (2012)306di-epi-α-ccedrene-(Ⅰ)Zou et al. (2018)
186alpha-santalolGao et al. (2012)307ar-tumeroneZou et al. (2018)
1871,4-dimethyl-7-(1-methylethyl)-chamomileGao et al. (2012)308tetrapentacontane,1,54-dibromo-Zou et al. (2018)
188decane,5,6-bis(2,2-dimethylpropylidene)-(Z,Z)Zou et al. (2018)309e−8-methyl-9-tetradecen-1-ol acetateZou et al. (2018)
1891,1,6-trimethyl-3-methylene-2 (3,6,9,13-tetramethyl-6-ethenye-10,14-dimethylene-pentadec-4-enyl)cyclohexaneZou et al. (2018)310hexadecanediniteileZou et al. (2018)
190sulfurous acid, butyl heptadecyl esterZou et al. (2018)311octacosyl trifluoroacetateZou et al. (2018)
191cyclohexane,1,2-dimethyl-3-pentyl-4-propylZou et al. (2018)

Volatile oil from A. officinarum.

3.4 Other compounds

In addition, A. officinarum contains 7 phenylpropanoids, 11 glycosides, 5 organic acids, 2 sterols and their glycosides, and 1 lactone, as shown in Figure 3 and Table 6.

FIGURE 3

TABLE 6

NO.CompoundCategoryReferenceNO.CompoundCategoryReference
312p-hydroxyphenylpropenolphenylpropanoidLy et al. (2003)3251,2-bis-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-4-allylbenzeneglycosideLy et al. (2002)
313p-hydroxyphenylpropene methyl esterphenylpropanoidLy et al. (2003)326N-butyl-β-D-fructopyranosideglycosideLy et al. (2002)
314(4E)-1,5-bis-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-1-methoxy-2-(methoxy)-phenyl-4-pentene (2a,2b)phenylpropanoidLy et al. (2003)3274′-hydroxy-2′-methoxyphenolglycosideLy et al. (2002)
315(4E)-1,5-bis-(4-hydroxy)-phenyl-2-(methoxymethyl)4-penten-1-ol (2a,2b)phenylpropanoidLy et al. (2003)3281-O-(6-Oα-L-rhamnopyranosyl-β-D-glucopyranosyl)-4-allylbenzeneglycosideLy et al. (2002)
316(4E)-1,5bis-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-1-ethoxy-2-(methoxymethyl)-4-pentene (2a,2b)phenylpropanoidLy et al. (2003)3291-O-(6-O-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-β-D-glucopyranosyl)-2-hydroxy-4-allylbenzeneglycosideLy et al. (2002)
317(4E)-1,5-bis-(4-hydroxy)-phenyl-2-(hydroxy)-phenyl-4-penten-1-ol (2a,2b)phenylpropanoidLy et al. (2003)330p-hydroxybenzoic acidorganic acidAn (2008)
318(4E)-1,5-bis-(4-hydroxy)-phenyl-1-[(2E)-3-(4-acetoxyphenyl)-2-propenyloxy]-2-diethyl ether-4-pentenephenylpropanoidLy et al. (2003)331p-methoxybenzoic acidorganic acidAn (2008)
319(1R,3S,4S)-trans-3-hydroxy-1,8-cineole-β-D-glucopyranosideglycosideAn et al. (2006c)3323,4 dihydroxybenzoic acidorganic acidAn (2008)
320benzyl-β-D-glucopyranosideglycosideAn et al. (2006c)3338-hydroxy-3-methoxyisochroman-1-oneorganic acidAn (2008)
3211-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-4-allylbenzeneglycosideLy et al. (2002)334behenic acidorganic acidAn (2008)
3223-methyl-2-butene-β-D-glucopyranosideglycosideLy et al. (2002)335atractylide ⅠlactoneAn (2008)
3231-hydroxy-2-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-4-allylbenzeneglycosideLy et al. (2002)336beta-sitosterolsterolAn (2008)
3241-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-2-hydroxy-4-allylbenzeneglycosideLy et al. (2002)337caroteneterpenoidAn (2008)

Other compounds in A. officinarum.

4 Pharmacokinetic study of the active compounds of A. officinarum

As one of the main active compounds of A. officinarum, galangin (3,5,7-trihydroxyflavone) has a variety of biological activities. Once galangin is consumed, it is metabolized in the intestine and liver, where it undergoes glucuronidation, methylation, and sulfation reactions. The pharmacokinetics of galangin-3-O-β-D-glucuronic acid (GG-1) and galangin-7-O-β-D-glucuronic acid (GG-2), two metabolites of A. officinarum, were studied in vivo. It was found (Liu et al., 2021) that, after oral administration of A. officinarum extract (0.3 g/kg) in rats, the peak concentrations (Cmax) of GG-1 and GG-2 were 6069.6 ± 1140.6 and 10596.0 ± 2395.7 ng/mL, respectively, reaching their peak concentrations at 0.2 ± 0.1 h. Area under curve (0-t) (AUC0-t), mean residence time (0-t) (MRT0-t), and t1/2 of GG-1 were 2390.9 ± 678.0 h μg/L, 1.4 ± 0.8 h, and 2.2 ± 0.7 h, respectively, while the corresponding values of GG-2 were 4554.9 ± 884.9 h·μg/L, 1.6 ± 0.7 h, and 3.3 ± 0.2 h, respectively. Obviously, the most significant difference between GG-1 and GG-2 is the AUC0-t and Cmax, where the parameter values of GG-2 are almost twice those of GG-1.

In addition, a previous study (Xin Zhang et al., 2021) found that microemulsion can promote the absorption of galangin and improve its bioavailability. The blood concentration of galangin in Liangfu Pill could not be detected after the rabbits were given Liangfu Pill by gavage once. For Liangfu micromilk, the absorption half-life (t1/2ka) of galangin was 0.29 h, the peak time (tpeak) was 0.75 h, the elimination half-life (t1/2ke) was 1.47 h, Cmax was 38.46 μg/L, and the AUC was 129.42 (μg·h)/L. In another study (Xianhua Du et al., 2008), it was found that a self-microemulsion of galangin was absorbed throughout the entire intestinal tract of rats. The absorption rate constants (Ka) in the duodenum, jejunum, ileum, and colon were 2.37, 1.70, 2.29, and 3.98 times higher than those of the galangin suspension, respectively. Additionally, the apparent absorption coefficients (Papp) were 3.58, 2.56, 3.57, and 5.16 times higher than those of the galangin suspension, respectively. The relative bioavailability of the self-microemulsion of galangin was 220%, compared to the galangin suspension.

5 Pharmacological effects of A. officinarum

A. officinarum is an important traditional Chinese medicine, and its main chemical components are flavonoids, volatile oils, and diarylheptanoids. Modern pharmacological studies have shown that A. officinarum has various pharmacological effects, including anti-ulcer, inhibition of gastrointestinal motility, anti-inflammatory and analgesic, antioxidant, anti-tumor, antibacterial, and hypoglycemic properties, as shown in Table 7.

TABLE 7

Pharmacological effectsExtracts/compoundsModelDosage/concentrationEffects/mechanismsReference
AntiulcerSupercritical extract of A. officinarumSD rat, model of restraint water immersion stress ulcerHigh and low dose group 100, 50, 25 mg/(kg·d), administration for 4 days, once a dayReducing the ulcer index of rats with restraint water immersion stress ulcer and reducing the gastric juice secretion, serum GAS level and pepsin activity of the model rats, the gastric mucosal SS level increased significantly, approaching the normal levelPeng et al. (2008)
Supercritical extract of A. officinarumSD rat, model of restraint water immersion stress ulcerHigh and low dose group 100, 50, 25 mg/(kg·d), administration for 5 days, once a dayReduce the ulcer index of the model rats and significantly increase the levels of serum IL-2 and EGF in the model rats, bring them close to normal levelsWu et al. (2004a)
GalanginSD male rats, pylorus ligated gastric ulcers model, indomethacin gastric ulcers model, ICR male mice, ethanol gastric ulcers modelPylorus ligation gastric ulcers model: 100 mg/kg, once a day for 5 days, indomethacin and ethanol gastric ulcers models: 50, 100, 200 mg/kg, once a day for 6 daysGalangin has an obvious effect on gastric ulcers in mice with alcoholic gastric ulcers induced by pylorus ligation, but it has no effect on the indomethacin gastric ulcers model in ratsLi (2007)
Different extracts of A. officinarumKunming mice, SD rats; ethanol-induced gastric mucosal injury model in mice; gastric ulcers model in rats induced by aspirin and indomethacin0.75, 3.00, 12 g/kg body weight, ethanol model for 7 days, aspirin model for 15 days, indomethacin model for 10 days, once a dayThe mechanism of the anti-ulcer effect of A. officinarum may be through inhibiting inflammatory factors to decrease GAS and increase COX-2 and PGE2, thereby improving the protective effect of gastric mucosa and reduce the injury of the gastric ulcersWei (2019)
A. officinarumBALB/c mice; animal model of Helicobacter pylori associated gastritisLow, medium and high dose: 0.09 g/kg, 0.18 g/kg, 0.36 g/(kg·day), 21 daysA. officinarum may inhibit H. pylori--associated gastritis by inhibiting the activation of MAPK and its catalysis of NF-κB phosphorylationMa (2019)
A. officinarum oilICR mice, reserpine to mouse gastric ulcers modelHigh, middle and low dose groups: 8, 4 and 2 mL/kg, once a day, for 6 daysA. officinarum oil can increase the activity of serum SOD and decrease the level of MDA to play a role in antioxidant stress and achieve the purpose of anti-GUWang et al. (2011)
A. officinarum oilICR mice, reserpine to mouse gastric ulcers modelHigh, middle and low dose groups: 8, 4 and 2 mL/kg, once a day, for 6 daysA. officinarum oil can relieve spasms of gastrointestinal smooth muscle in mice with gastric ulcers induced by reserpine and reduce tension in gastrointestinal muscles and exert its antispasmodic and analgesic effectsWang Haiyan et al. (2011)
diphenylheptane extract of A. officinarumFemale BALB/c mice, the model of gastric injury induced by ethanolHigh, middle and low dose: 126.8 mg/kg, 63.4 mg/kg, 31.7 mg/kg, given for 7 daysDPHs increased the activity of superoxide dismutase, decreased the levels of inflammatory mediators, malondialdehyde, motilin, and gastrin, decreased the activities of inducible nitric oxide synthase and cyclooxygenase-2, and inhibited the expression of Toll-like receptor 4, myeloid differentiation factor 88 and nuclear factor-κ B on protein and mRNALin et al. (2021)
Total flavonoids of A. officinarumIn vivo: BALB/c mice; ethanol-induced gastric ulcers model in vivo and in vitro; gastric mucosal epithelial cells in vitroHigh, middle, and low dose: 126.8 mg/kg, 63.4 mg/kg, 31.7 mg/kgThe total flavonoids of A. officinarum effectively decreased the ulcer index, decreased the release of inflammatory mediators (IL-1β, IL-6, TNF- α and PGE2), increased the content of nitric oxide, and improved the secretion of GAS and MTLLin et al. (2020)
Inhibition of gastrointestinal motilityA. officinarum decoction and its different partsKunming mouse; New Zealand rabbitHigh and low dose: 8 g/kg and 4 g/kg for 7 daysThe main antispasmodic and analgesic components of A. officinarum are flavonoids and diarylheptanoids, in which the gastrointestinal spasmolysis is stronger than that of flavonoids, and the analgesic effect of diarylheptanoids is strongerGui et al. (2021)
Different active parts of A. officinarumTen New Zealand rabbits, both male and female0.05 g/LThe active components of A. officinarum extract could inhibit the spontaneous movement of intestinal muscle in a dose-dependent manner and each active component could inhibit intestinal spasm induced by acetylcholineCheng et al. (2015)
A. officinarumNew Zealand rabbit; NIH mouse; SD rat0.2 mL/10 gThe supercritical extract of A. officinarum can inhibit the excitation of intestinal smooth muscle induced by neostigmine and antagonize muscarinic receptorsWu et al. (2004b)
Analgesic and anti-inflammatoryTotal flavonoids of A. officinarumNIH mouse; SD ratLow, medium, and high doses: 16.6, 33.2, and 66.4 g/kgThe total flavonoids of A. officinarum had an obvious inhibitory effect on the acute inflammation model and pain in mice induced by acetic acid and heat stimulationChen et al. (2009)
Total flavonoids of A. officinarumSD rats, NIH mice; acetic acid-induced IBS model ratsHigh, middle, and low dose: 2, 1, 0.5 g/kg, for two consecutive weeks, once a dayThe total flavonoids of A. officinarum can effectively reduce the visceral sensitivity of IBS rats induced by acetic acid and inhibit the pain induced by heat stimulation, acetic acid, and formaldehyde in miceLiang et al. (2013)
GalanginKM mouse; NRK-52E cell; mouse UAN modelLow, medium and high doses: 100, 200, 400 mg/kg, once a day for 15 daysGalangin can significantly inhibit the activation of NLRP3 inflammasomes and the release of inflammatory factors IL-1β and IL-18 in NRK-52E cellsLu et al. (2020)
GalanginFemale BALB/c mice; asthma model15.5 mg/kg, once a day for 4 daysGalangin can exert its anti-inflammatory effect by inhibiting the activity of NF-κB and down-regulating the expression of MCP-1, Eotaxin, CXCL10, and VCAM-1 mRNA in human airway smooth muscle cells induced by TNF-αCha (2015)
GalanginFemale BALB/c mice; establishment of mouse asthma model sensitized and challenged by ovalbumin10 mg/kgGalangin can reduce the expression of TNF-α and decrease airway inflammation in asthmatic miceGu and Wu (2017)
A. officinarumMale SD rats; Kunming mice, half male and half femaleAlcohol extract of A. officinarum 20 g/kg, 10 g/kg, 5 g/kg, water extract 30 g/kg, 15 g/kgA. officinarum has a certain effect on fever and inflammation, and the 75% ethanol extract has a stronger effect than the water extractYan et al. (2013)
GalanginAdult male ICR mice; BV2 microglial cell line50 mg/kg, once a day for 4 daysGalangin inhibits the expression of pro-inflammatory molecules such as inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), COX-2 and pro-inflammatory cytokines, and enhances the anti-inflammatory IL-10 in poly (ipurc)-stimulated microgliaChoi et al. (2017)
Water extract of A. officinarumMale NC/Nga mice30, 100, and 300 mg/kgThe anti-inflammatory effect of A. officinarum water extract is related to its inhibitory effect on mitogen-activated protein kinase, nuclear factor kappa B, and signal transduction pathway 1Song et al. (2021)
Bioactive components of A. officinarumRAW 264.7 mice; macrophages0, 12.5, 25, and 50 mMGalangin has an anti-inflammatory effect on endotoxin-activated macrophages by inhibiting the expression of ERK, NF-kB-p65, and pro-inflammatory genesLi et al. (2021)
AntioxidantTotal flavonoids of A. officinarum (TFAO)Male ICR miceDetermination of GSH-Px activity: 5,10,20 mg/L, TFAO 40 μL, determination of MDA content: 10,20,40 mg/L, TFAO 0.2 mL; erythrocyte oxidative hemolysis: 0.2 mL 0.5, 1.0, 2.0 mg/L TFAOTFAO can effectively scavenge O2-, ·OH and DPPH·, and its ability of scavenging O2- is stronger than that of the traditional antioxidant VC; It can significantly enhance the activity of GSH-Px in mouse liver and brain homogenate, effectively inhibiting the production of MDA, maintaining the integrity of cell membranes, inhibiting erythrocyte oxidative hemolysis induced by H2O2, and reducing tissue oxidative damageXia et al. (2009)
Total flavonoids of A. officinarumStaphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Candida albicans2.5 mL, purity over 98%In terms of antioxidation, quercetin showed good antioxidant activity, while galangin had the lowest antioxidant activity. However, but the activity of galangin was similar to that of kaempferol and kaempferol in the ABTS radical scavenging testWang et al. (2017)
Total flavonoids of A. officinarum0.01, 0.025, 0.05, 0.1, 0.15, 0.20 mg/mLThe scavenging rate of total flavonoids of A. officinarum on DPPH radical increased with the increase in concentration. The scavenging rate was lower than that of Vc, with an IC50 of 0.05 mg/mL, which was equivalent to the IC50 of BHTShi et al. (2012)
Total flavonoids of A. officinarumMale ICR miceLow, medium and high dose: 100, 100, 300, and 500 mg/kgTFAO can significantly increase the activities of antioxidant enzymes (GSH-Px, SOD, CAT) and the content of GSH in lead-poisoned mice, improving lipid peroxidation and providing significant protection against lead poisoning-induced oxidative stressXia et al. (2013)
GalanginC57 male mice25 mg/kg lasted until 4 weeks after operationGalangin attenuates cardiac fibrosis induced by AB by reducing cardiac oxidative stress and inhibiting the transformation of cardiac fibroblasts into myofibroblastsYang et al. (2020)
GalanginMale KM mice; NRK-52E cellsLow, medium, and high doses: 100,200,400 mg/kgGalangin can significantly inhibit the activation of NLRP3 inflammasomes and the release of IL-1β and IL-18 in NRK-52E cellsLu et al. (2020)
GalanginFemale Spraguee-Dawley rats; bilateral ovariectomy model300 mg/(kg·d), last for 12 weeksThe ethanol extract of AOH can significantly reverse bone loss, in part by increasing bone formation and inhibiting bone resorption associated with its antioxidant effectSu et al. (2016)
A. officinarum oilStaphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, Saccharomyces cerevisiae0.02 g/mLThe peroxide value (POV) and acid value (AV) of peanut oil of A. officinarum volatile oil were lowerHuang et al. (2015)
Different components of A. officinarum extractHepG2 hepatoma cell line; HepG2 oxidative damage model induced by H2O2 in human hepatoma cell lineHigh, medium, and low doses: 300, 200 and 100 mg, administered continuously for 30 daysThe diphenylheptane fraction of A. officinarum extract showed antioxidant-related activity in vitro and in vivo, followed by flavonoidsLin et al. (2017)
Anti-liver injuryA. officinarumKunming mice, half male and half female; alcohol-induced acute alcoholic liver injury model in miceLow, medium, and high dose: 1, 2, and 4 g/kgA. officinarum may have a protective effect on alcoholic liver injury in mice by scavenging free radicals and providing antioxidant effect. However, its active components and specific mechanism need to be further studiedZhou et al. (2012)
GalanginC57BL/6 mice; concanavalin A (ConA)-induced hepatitis model25 mg/kg or 50 mg/kgGalangin inhibits NF-κB and STAT1 signal transduction, resulting in a decrease in the expression and secretion of many inflammatory mediatorsLuo et al. (2015)
HypoglycemicA. officinarumICR male mice200 mg/kgAn 80% ethanol elution site can significantly reduce the blood glucose level of acute hyperglycemic miceC et al. (2017)
A. officinarum and its extractMale New Zealand White Rabbit4 g/kgAfter oral administration of 3 and 4 g/kg A officinarum root powder for 4–8 h, the blood glucose level of normal rabbits decreased significantlyAkhtar et al. (2002)
A. officinarum extractMale Wistar rats; type 2 diabetic rats induced by nicotinamide/streptozotocin as model100, 200, and 500 mg/kg for 28 daysThe rhizome extract of A. officinarum exhibits antidiabetic effects in rats with type 2 diabetesHeidari et al. (2022)
HypolipidemicTotal flavonoids of A. officinarum (TFAO)Male SD ratsLow, medium, and high doses: 100, 200, 200, and 300 mgTFAO has significant effects on regulating blood lipids, antioxidation and protecting liver, and can regulate the expression of obesity-related factors, which may be the mechanism of its slimming and lipid-lowering effectFang et al. (2015)
AnticoagulantA. officinarum and its main componentsWistar rat model of left carotid artery thrombosisThe water extract of A. officinarum is 10, 20 g/kg, and the ether extract of A. officinarum is 0.2 and 0.4 g/kgThe water extract of A. officinarum and the volatile oil of A. officinarum have obvious inhibitory effect on thrombosis in rats and have certain anticoagulant effect, which mainly participate in the endogenous coagulation system to improve the blood flow stateXu et al. (1991)
AntibacterialA. officinarum flavonoidsVVISA standard strain Mu50; methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus standard strains N315 and ATCC252930, 4, 8, and 16 μg/mLGalangin can effectively inhibit the activity of murein hydrolase and the growth of VISA strain Mu50Ouyang et al. (2018)
QuercetinPseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1125–256 μg/mLQuercetin is an effective drug for inhibiting the formation of bacterial biofilm and virulence factorsOuyang et al. (2016)
DiarylheptanoidCandida albicans (SC5314)5 mg/mLThe chloroform extract of A. officinarum has the strongest antibacterial activityZhao et al. (2007)
Effective components of volatile oil16 strains of bacteriaSeven concentrations of 50, 25, 12.5, 6.25, 3.13, 1.56, and 0.78 μL/mLThe activity of A. officinarum volatile oil against the above-mentioned superficial dermatophytes is mainly by inhibiting their growthGui et al. (2005)
A. officinarum extractStaphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Candida albicans, Acinetobacter, E. coliFour concentrations of 0.5  g/ml, 0.25 g/mL, 0.125 g/mL, and 0.0625 g/mLThe extract of A. officinarum has good bacteriostatic effect on Staphylococcus aureus, but has no bacteriostatic effect on Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Candida albicans, Acinetobacter and Escherichia coliQin et al. (2015)
Improve memory abilityDifferent extracts of A. officinarumKunming mice; model of memory acquisition impairment induced by scopolamine in mice3.33 mg/kgImprove the ability of scavenging free radicals, reduce the levels of free radicals, and enhance the function of the central cholinergic nervous systemLiu et al. (2010a)
GalanginKunming miceLow and high dose 10 mg/kg, 20 mg/kg for 2 weeks, once a dayGalangin may play a role in delaying aging by increasing the activity of antioxidant enzymes and reducing the production of free radicalsFu et al. (2012)
GalanginAPP/PS1 double transgene mice; C57BL/6 miceLow, medium and high dose
25 mg/kg, 50 mg/kg, 100 mg/kg
Galangin may improve learning and memory impairment in mice by regulating the Akt/MEF2D/Beclin-1 signaling pathwayHuang et al. (2022)
A. officinarum extractPC12 Cell1, 10, 20, and 50 μgThe extract of A. officinarum could significantly reduce the leakage rate of intracellular lactate dehydrogenase, decrease the content of intracellular MDA and increase the activities of SOD and GSH-Px in a concentration-dependent mannerZhai et al. (2014b)
A. officinarum extractKunming mouse; model of memory consolidation disorder induced by sodium nitrite in mice6.66, 3.33, 1.67 mg/kg (all in terms of crude drug quantity), once a day for 13 consecutive daysThe mechanism may be related to improving the scavenging ability of free radicals and reducing the levels of free radicalsLiu et al. (2010b)
A. officinarum extractKunming mice; model of memory acquisition impairment induced by scopolamine in mice6.66, 3.33, 1.67 mg/kg (all in terms of crude drug quantity)Both the water extract and ethanol extract of A. officinarum could significantly improve the histological changes in the hippocampus of mice with memory acquisition impairmentZhao et al. (2010)
A. officinarum extractKunming mouse; mouse model of acute cerebral ischemia; mouse model of memory acquisition impairment induced by berberine6.66, 3.33, 1.67 mg/kg (all calculated by 3.33 mg/kg)The water extract of A. officinarum can effectively reduce the brain water content and cerebral vascular permeability after acute cerebral ischemiaChen (2012)
Anti-tumorGalanginHuman hepatocellular carcinoma SMMC-7721MTT method: 5.4, 10.8, 21.6, 43.2, 86.4 μg/mL; flow cytometry to analyze cell cycle/apoptosis: 10.8, 21.6, 43.2 μg/mLGalangin may play a role in inducing apoptosis of the human hepatoma cell line SMMC-7721 through the PI3K/AKT signaling pathwayLiu et al. (2014)
GalanginSeven kinds of tumor cells5, 10, 20, 40, 80, and 160 μmol/LThe inhibitory effect of galangin on different tumor cells was time-and concentration-dependentLuo and Liu (2020)
GalanginHuman osteosarcoma MG-63 cells20, 40, 80, and 100 mMGalangin can inhibit the proliferation and induce apoptosis of human osteosarcoma MG-63 cells, and its mechanism is related to the mitochondrial pathwaySong et al. (2012)
GalanginCervical cancer SiHa cells150, 125, 100, 75, 50, and 25 μg/mLGalangin can induce apoptosis by increasing the transcription level of the apoptosis executive on factor caspase 3 and promoting the degradation of intracellular structural proteinsAbudula (2016)
GalanginHepatoma cell134, 87.3, and 79.8 μmol/LGalangin induces apoptosis in HCC by activating the cysteine aspartate protease 8/t-Bid mitochondrial pathwayZhang et al. (2012)
KaempferolHCCLM3 and Huh7 cells40, 80, and 120 μMKaempferol induces cell cycle arrest in HCC cells by regulating the ATM/CHEK2/KNL1 signaling pathwayLi et al. (2024)
A. officinarum extractMCF-7, LNCaP, and fibroblast cells25, 50, 100, 200, and 400 μg/mLA. officinarum extract induces apoptosis in two types of cancer cellsKazemi et al. (2022)

Study on pharmacological effects of A. officinarum.

5.1 Effects on gastrointestinal function

A. officinarum is an essential medicine for treating deficiency-cold of the spleen and stomach, as well as epigastric cold pain in traditional Chinese medicine. It is mainly used in the treatment of digestive tract diseases such as dyspepsia, acid reflux, and gastric ulcers. Wei (2019) used anhydrous ethanol and aspirin to induce two types of gastric ulcers models to study the effects of different extracts of A. officinarum on mice with gastric ulcers. The results showed that the aqueous extract of A. officinarum had a good anti-ulcer effect and decreased the ulcer index. It was inferred that the mechanism of the anti-ulcer effect of A. officinarum may be through inhibiting inflammatory factors, reducing gastrin (GAS), increasing cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), thereby enhancing the protective effect of the gastric mucosa and reducing gastric injury. Wang et al. (2011) studied the therapeutic effect of the volatile oil of A. officinarum on gastric ulcers. The results showed that the volatile oil of A. officinarum could reduce the gastric ulcer index and increase the ulcer inhibition rate in mice. A. officinarum reduces the levels of serum motilin (MOT) and substance P (SP), while increasing the levels of serum somatostatin (SS) and vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) in order to exert its anti-ulcer effect. In addition, the study found that the volatile oil of A. officinarum can increase the levels of serum nitric oxide (NO), expand the blood vessel walls, improve the microcirculation of the gastric mucosa, strengthen the mucosal barrier, scavenge oxygen free radicals, and protect the normal function of the gastric mucosa.

A. officinarum has an obvious gastrointestinal spasmolytic effect, and its decoction can inhibit gastrointestinal propulsive movement. Gui et al. (2021) observed the effect of the total flavonoids of A. officinarum on the propulsive movement of the small intestine in normal rats using the charcoal powder method. The results showed that the total flavonoids of A. officinarum not only significantly inhibited the intestinal motility of normal rats, but also antagonized the hyperfunction of the small intestine induced by neostigmine. The mechanism may be that it affects the secretion and release of gastrointestinal hormones, such as somatostatin and vasoactive intestinal peptide, thus relaxing the smooth muscle. Cheng Yuan et al. (Cheng et al., 2015) studied the effects of various active components of A. officinarum on intestinal spasms induced by acetylcholine and on normal intestinal muscles in isolated rabbits. The results showed that the active components of A. officinarum extract could inhibit the spontaneous movement of intestinal muscles in a dose-dependent manner. Among these components, flavonoids and diphenylheptanes were the most prominent, and they were stronger than anisodamine. The mechanism of A. officinarum in improving gastrointestinal function is shown in Figure 4.

FIGURE 4

5.2 Analgesic and anti-inflammatory effect

A. officinarum is hot and pungent, which has the effect of dispelling cold and relieving pain. As the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for long-term treatment of inflammation can cause obvious side effects, plants are constantly being developed as potential anti-inflammatory agents. Chen et al. (2009) used the carrageenan rat foot swelling model, the xylene mouse ear swelling model, and a capillary permeability experiment to study the anti-inflammatory effect of the total flavonoids extracted from A. officinarum. The mouse hot plate method and torsion test were used to observe the analgesic effect of the total flavonoids extracted from A. officinarum. The results showed that the total flavonoids extracted from A. officinarum had a significant inhibitory effect on acute inflammation models, such as toe swelling induced by carrageenan, auricle swelling induced by xylene, and an increase in celiac capillary permeability induced by acetic acid in mice. The total flavonoids of A. officinarum can inhibit pain induced by acetic acid and heat stimulation in mice. Liang et al. (2013) studied the therapeutic and analgesic effects of total flavonoids from A. officinarum (GLJ) on acetic acid-induced visceral hypersensitivity in rats with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). The results showed that GLJ had a certain inhibitory effect on pain induced by heat stimulation, acetic acid, and formaldehyde in mice. Zha Wangjian et al. (Cha, 2015) found that galangin can inhibit airway inflammation and airway hyperresponsiveness to some extent in a mouse model of asthma. In addition, A. officinarum and its main compounds have anti-inflammatory effects on LPS-induced inflammation in RAW264.7 cells. This may be related to the inhibition of NF-κB activation. The anti-inflammatory mechanism of the total flavonoids of A. officinarum is shown in Figure 5A.

FIGURE 5

5.3 Antioxidant effect

An antioxidant is a type of active substance that can eliminate the inhibition of lipid peroxidation by free radicals. It can prevent the damage caused by lipid peroxidation to organisms. In a comparative study on the antioxidant activity of various components of A. officinarum extract, Lin et al. (2017) discovered that the diphenylheptanes exhibited antioxidant activity both in vitro and in vivo. Xia et al. (2009) found that the total flavonoids of A. officinarum can act as antioxidants by inhibiting reactive oxygen free radicals and decreasing the catalytic activity of metal ions in vitro. In the HepG2 oxidative damage model induced by H2O2, diphenylheptane in A. officinarum showed significant antioxidant activity. The extract of A. officinarum could potentially prevent oxidative stress damage by activating the Keap1/Nrf2/ARE signaling pathway. The antioxidant mechanism of the extract of A. officinarum is shown in Figure 5B.

5.4 Antibacterial effect

The in vitro antibacterial experiment conducted by Zhao et al. (2007) showed that the chloroform and ethyl acetate extracts of A. officinarum exhibited anti-Candida albicans activity. The chloroform extract of A. officinarum, at a concentration of 20 mg/mL, demonstrated strong activity. Qin et al. (2015) showed that both the alcohol extract and water extract of A. officinarum had a good inhibitory effect on methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, but had no significant inhibitory effect on Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Candida albicans, Acinetobacter, or Escherichia coli. Flavonoids are the most important antibacterial components of A. officinarum. Ouyang et al. (2018) studied the impact of galangin on the antibacterial activity against vancomycin-intermediate S. aureus. The study results showed that galangin had significant inhibitory activity against ATCC25293, N315, and Mu50, with a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 32 mg/L. The results of further studies showed that galangin inhibited the growth of bacteria by inhibiting the activity of cell wall hydrolase. At the same time, the effect of quercetin on P. aeruginosa PAO1 was also studied (Ouyang et al., 2016). The results showed that 16 mg/L of quercetin could significantly inhibit the biofilm formation, the quorum sensing system, and independent factors of P. aeruginosa. This suggests that quercetin may have the potential to treat biofilm-associated infections.

5.5 Improve memory ability

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a chronic degenerative disease of the central nervous system in middle-aged and elderly individuals. Its main clinical manifestation is cognitive dysfunction. Huang Liping (Huang et al., 2022) has shown that galangin can improve learning and memory impairment in APP/PS1 mice. It may inhibit the activity of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) in the brain through the cholinergic pathway, increasing the level of ACh and improving learning and memory function. On the other hand, it may play a role in protecting hippocampal neurons by regulating the Akt/MEF2D/Beclin-1 signaling pathway and clearing abnormal proteins in hippocampal neurons through autophagy and chaperone-mediated autophagy (CMA). This can reduce the deposition of amyloid-β (Aβ) and the formation of tau protein. It can be concluded that galangin may improve the learning and memory impairment of APP/PS1 mice by regulating the Akt/MEF2D/Beclin-1 signaling pathway. In the PC12 cell injury model stimulated by H2O2, A. officinarum extract can significantly reduce the lactate dehydrogenase leakage rate, decrease the content of MDA, and increase the activities of SOD and GSH-Px (Zhai et al., 2014b).

5.6 Anti-tumor effect

The anti-tumor mechanism of A. officinarum can be reflected in regulating the cell cycle, inducing tumor cell apoptosis and autophagy, inhibiting tumor cell migration and invasion, and reversing drug resistance in tumors. Luo and Liu (2020) found that galangin has a broad-spectrum anti-tumor effect. Its inhibitory effect on different tumor cells varies and depends on time and concentration. Galangin can strongly inhibit the genotoxicity of chemical toxic substances in vivo and in vitro, making it a potential preventive drug for cancer. Zhang et al. (2012) found that A. officinarum can induce apoptosis by activating mitochondrial apoptosis, caspases, and causing changes in the levels of Bcl-2 in various liver cancer cell lines. Additionally, kaempferol derived from A. officinarum has the ability to induce apoptosis in HCCLM3 and Huh7 cells by controlling the ATM/CHEK2/KNL1 signaling pathway.

5.7 Other functions

In addition to the above pharmacological effects, A. officinarum has anti-liver injury, hypoglycemic, hypolipidemic, and anticoagulant effects. Zhou et al. (2012) showed that A. officinarum can protect the function of hepatocytes in mice after an acute alcoholic liver injury. The results showed that A. officinarum could significantly reduce the concentrations of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate transaminase (AST) in the serum of mice after injury, indicating that A. officinarum has a certain hepatoprotective effect. Its pharmacological mechanism may be to protect liver cells by scavenging free radicals and reducing the degree of damage caused by alcohol. Akhtar et al. (2002) showed that the extract of A. officinarum has a significant hypoglycemic effect. In the hypoglycemic experiment on normal male New Zealand rabbits, oral A. officinarum powder at a dose of 3 g/kg significantly reduced blood glucose levels. The methanol and water extracts showed even more pronounced hypoglycemic effects. When the oral dose was increased to 4 g/kg, there was a significant decrease in blood glucose levels of rabbits after 8 h. However, A. officinarum powder and its extract had no effect on rabbits with diabetes induced by alloxan. Therefore, its hypoglycemic effect may be achieved by promoting insulin secretion from the pancreas in the body. Obese patients are often accompanied by abnormal fat metabolism, which can lead to high blood total cholesterol (TC) and/or triglyceride (TG) levels. Fang et al. (2015) showed that middle and high doses of total flavonoids from A. officinarum play a significant role in controlling body mass, fat accumulation, and cholesterol metabolism, as well as reducing the levels of serum leptin and plasma neuropeptide Y in nutritionally obese rats with hyperlipidemia. A study (Luo et al., 2015) has shown that galangin has an obvious inhibitory effect on thrombosis in rats, demonstrating a certain anticoagulant effect. The potential mechanism may be to improve the blood flow state of rats by participating in the endogenous coagulation system.

6 Conclusion and prospection

A. officinarum is an important traditional Chinese medicine for both medicine and food. Using modern research methods, the pharmacological effects of its active compounds have been clearly described, and the mechanisms of anti-gastric ulcer, inhibition of gastrointestinal motility, antioxidant effect, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and analgesia have been gradually clarified. The treatment of traditional digestive tract diseases has been expanded to a certain extent, broadening its scope of clinical application. So far, 337 compounds have been isolated from A. officinarum. Among them, galangin is a very important active compound extracted from A. officinarum. The pharmacological effects of galangin are very extensive. However, most pharmacological effects are currently only verified in cell and animal models, and there is a lack of clinical study data to support them. In addition, the mechanism of pharmacological action of galangin is not fully understood. Most studies are limited to the pharmacodynamic level or a few specific targets or pathways, and are unable to elucidate the general mechanism of action or the connection between the various targets and pathways. In the future, based on existing research, network pharmacology, bioinformatics, and multi-omics analysis can be used to comprehensively and deeply analyze the molecular mechanisms, genes, and signaling pathways of galangin. Further studies are needed to explore the extracts of A. officinarum for any potential toxicities, side effects, and contraindications. With the continuous discovery of the structure of the active components of A. officinarum and the in-depth study of its pharmacological activity, its pharmacodynamic mechanism is gradually becoming clear. The research scope of the pharmacological activity of A. officinarum has been continuously expanded by the vast number of scientific research works, and its medicinal value will be further developed and applied.

Statements

Author contributions

XL: Conceptualization, Funding acquisition, Writing–original draft, Writing–review and editing. JW: Software, Writing–original draft. KZ: Writing–original draft. TX: Writing–original draft. JZ: Writing–review and editing. XX: Writing–original draft. QL: Writing–original draft. XL: Conceptualization, Funding acquisition, Writing–review and editing.

Funding

The author(s) declare that financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. The study was supported by the Hainan Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China (819QN230), the Top Talent Support Program for young and middle-aged people of Wuxi Health Committee (BJ2022072), Jiangsu CM Clinical Innovation Center of Degenerative Bone & Joint Disease, Natural Science Foundation project of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine (XZR2023091).

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Publisher’s note

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.

Abbreviations

AD, Alzheimer’s disease; AUC, area under the curve; AchE, acetylcholinesterase; ALT, alanine aminotransferase; AST, aspartate transaminase; Cmax, peak concentration; COX-2, cyclooxygenase-2; CMA, chaperone-mediated autophagy; DIC, disseminated intravascular coagulation; iNOS, inducible nitric oxide synthase; GG-1, galangin-3-O-β-D-glucuronic acid; GG-2, galangin-7-O-β-D-glucuronic acid; IBS, irritable bowel syndrome; Ka, absorption rate constants; MDA, malondialdehyde; MIC, minimum inhibitory concentration; MOT, motilin; NO, nitric oxide; GAS, gastrin; Papp, apparent absorption coefficients; PGE2, prostaglandin E2; SOD, superoxide dismutase; SP, substance P; SS, serum somatostatin; tpeak, peak time; t1/2ke, elimination half-life; t1/2ka, absorption half-life; TC, total cholesterol; TG, triglycerides; VIP, vasoactive intestinal peptide; TLR4, toll-like receptor 4; NGF, nerve growth factor; CGRP, calcitonin gene-related peptide; GU, gastric ulcer.

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Summary

Keywords

Alpinia officinarum Hance, traditional uses, phytochemistry, pharmacology, pharmacokinetic

Citation

Lei X, Wang J, Zuo K, Xia T, Zhang J, Xu X, Liu Q and Li X (2024) Alpinia officinarum Hance: a comprehensive review of traditional uses, phytochemistry, pharmacokinetic and pharmacology. Front. Pharmacol. 15:1414635. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2024.1414635

Received

09 April 2024

Accepted

01 August 2024

Published

16 August 2024

Volume

15 - 2024

Edited by

Laiba Arshad, Forman Christian College, Pakistan

Reviewed by

Verena Spiegler, University of Münster, Germany

Sabi Ur Rehman, Forman Christian College, Pakistan

Updates

Copyright

*Correspondence: Xiaoliang Li,

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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.

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