REVIEW article
Front. Pharmacol.
Sec. Ethnopharmacology
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fphar.2025.1656493
This article is part of the Research TopicDiscovery and Function Research of Novel Natural ProductsView all 5 articles
The Chemical Structure, Pharmacological Activity, and Clinical Progress of Gentianae Radix et Rhizoma
Provisionally accepted
- 1Yantaishan Hospital - North Campus, Yantai, China
- 2Yantai University, Yantai, China
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As pivotal medicinal resources in the Gentiana genus (Gentianaceae), Gentianae Radix et Rhizoma exhibit remarkable chemical diversity and multi-target pharmacological activities. This review highlights G. scabra Bunge., Gentiana rhodantha Franch., Gentiana manshurica Kitag., Gentiana veitchiorum Hemsl., and other species, compiling 172 constituents from literature (2004–2024) and traditional sources: terpenoids (66 iridoids, 47 triterpenoids, and others), flavonoids, lignans, and alkaloids. Iridoids (e.g., gentiopicroside, swertiamarin) and triterpenoids are key bioactive agents. Pharmaco-logically, Gentiana extracts target NF-κB and MAPK pathways to suppress in-flammation and oxidative liver injury via Nrf2 activation, while inducing tumor cell apoptosis (Bax/Bcl-2) and S/G2-M phase arrest to inhibit lung/liver cancer proliferation. They enhance gastrointestinal repair, This is a provisional file, not the final typeset article regulate motility, and mitigate chronic pain through central-peripheral analgesic synergy. Clinically, gentiopicroside demonstrates hepatoprotective, antiviral, and neuroprotective effects, with applications in herpes zoster, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and metabolic disorders. This review represents the first comprehensive integration of multidimensional chemi-cal-pharmacological-clinical data on Gentianae Radix et Rhizoma constituents, aiming to promote the expanded application of Gentianae Radix et Rhizoma in the pharma-ceutical field, provide a scientific basis for further development and utilization, and lay a foundation for subsequent research and industrial development.
Keywords: Gentianae Radix et Rhizoma, chemical structure, Pharmacological activities, clinical applications, Active constituents
Received: 04 Jul 2025; Accepted: 22 Sep 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Liu, Liu, Liu and Zhao. 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:
Sheng Liu, liusheng87@163.com
Feng Zhao, ytuzhaofeng@163.com
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.