Phytochemical and Biological Studies on Certain Plants Belonging to Family Fabaceae

Abstract

Fabaceae (Leguminosae) is one of the largest and most economically important families of flowering plants. It is the third-largest plant family in a number of species. Genus Erythrina belongs to family Fabaceae and is widely distributed in tropical and subtropical regions of the world. Erythrina comprises over 130 species of orange and/or red flowering trees, shrubs, and herbaceous plants. The plants of this genus exhibit significant role in traditional medicine targeting different diseases. Alkaloids and flavonoids were reported as the chief bioactive constituents of this genus with a wide range of biological activities. Anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, anticonvulsant, anxiolytic, curare-like activity, insecticidal, and cytotoxic activities were reported for Erythrina sp. extracts, and compounds. E. speciosa var. Rosea and E. crista-galli cultivated in Egypt were choosen for preliminary phytochemical studies. The results of the preliminary studies revealed that E. speciosa var. Rosea contain more promising compounds. Additionally, numerous phytochemical and biological studies were reported for E. crista-galli and only few reports were traced on E. speciosa var. Rosea. We, therefore, conducted the present work to evaluate the potential antiulcer and gastroprotective activity of E. speciosa var. Rosea as well as to reveal the underlying mechanism of action. Additionally, we were interested in finding new antibacterial and antiviral secondary metabolites from Erythrina sp. Although many phytochemical and biological studies were conducted on different plants belonging to this genus, very few reports were found on E. speciosa var. Rosea. This encouraged us to carry out in-depth biological and phytochemical studies on this selected plant. The present study comprised two parts: 1. Phytochemical investigation on selected Erythrina species. 2. Biological investigation of E. speciosa var. Rosea leaves and flowers extracts