Jatropha gossypiifolia L. (Euphorbiaceae): A Review of Traditional Uses, Phytochemistry, Pharmacology, and Toxicology of This Medicinal Plant

Table 4

Pharmacological studies of Jatropha gossypiifolia L. described in the literature.

Pharmacological activity	Plant part	Extract/compounds	Detail	Reference
Analgesic	Aerial parts	Methanol and petrol ether extracts	At 100 and 200 mg/kg/day, over 7 days, by oral route in mice, only the methanol extract presented significant analgesic activity in Eddy’s hot plate and tail-flack models	[92]
	Fruits	Methanol extract	At 200 and 400 mg/kg, by oral route in mice, highly significantly inhibited the writhing responses induced by acetic acid	[110]
	Leaves	Methanol extract	At 200 and 400 mg/kg, by oral route in mice, significantly inhibited the writhing responses induced by acetic acid	[111]
Antibacterial	Latex	Crude latex	At 100 𝜇L volume inhibited in vitro  Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella tyhimurium, Salmonella typhi, and Staphylococcus aureus	[112]
	Latex	Not specified	Presented bactericidal effect in vitro against Shigella dysenteriae and Staphylococcus aureus*	[113]
	Leaves	Fractions obtained by sequential extraction of the vegetal material with petrol ether, benzene, chloroform, acetone, ethanol, methanol, and water	Petrol ether fraction was inactive against Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis. Benzene fraction was the most active, against both microorganisms. Chloroform and methanol fractions were active only against Bacillus subtilis. Acetone and ethanol fractions were active only against Escherichia coli. Aqueous fraction was active against both microorganisms, although to a much lesser degree than the other fractions.	[52]
		Methanol, chloroform, and water extracts	All extracts were active in vitro against Shigella dysenteriae*	[113]
		Petrol ether and ethyl acetate fractions from ethanol : dichloromethane (1 : 1, v/v) extract	The petrol ether fraction (1 mg/mL) inhibited in vitro Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus epidermidis, and Salmonella typhimurium. The ethyl acetate fraction (1 mg/mL) was active against Staphylococcus aureus	[87]
	Whole plant	Jatrophenone	Presented in vitro antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus comparable to penicillin	[41]
Antibacterial and antifungal	Aerial parts	Water and ethyl acetate fractions from methanol extract	Both fractions, at 1 mg, did not produce zones of inhibition for Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Saccharomyces  cerevisiae,nor Candida albicans	[114]
	Leaves	Chloroform extract	Presented antibacterial activity against Salmonella typhi, Pseudomonas aeruginosa,,and Staphylococcus aureus and antifungal activity against Candida albicans. Did not produce inhibition zones against Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, Proteus mirabilis, Corynebacterium diptheriae, Shigella dysenteriae,and Streptococcus penumoniae	[50]
	Leaves	Dichloromethane : methanol (1 : 1, v/v) extract	At 0.5 and 1 mg/mL, showed significant antibacterial activity in vitro against Bacillus cereus var mycoides, Bacillus pumilus, Bacillus subtilis, Bordetella bronchiseptica, Micrococcus luteus, Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Streptococcus faecalis and antifungal activity in vitro against Candida albicans	[88]
		Methanol extract	Presented antibacterial activity against Salmonella typhi, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Staphylococcus aureus and antifungal activity against Candida albicans. Did not produce inhibition zones against Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, Proteus mirabilis, Corynebacterium diptheriae, Shigella dysenteriae,and Streptococcus penumoniae	[50]
	Not specified	Extracts obtained by sequential extraction of the vegetal material with n-hexane, chloroform, acetone, methanol, and water	n-Hexane extract had inhibitory activity in vitro against Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhi, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Bacillus cereus, Klebsiella  aerogenes, and Candida albicans but was inactive against Shiguella boydi, Aspergillus fumigatus, Aspergillus flavus, and Aspergillus niger. Chloroform extract inhibited in vitro Salmonella typhi, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Bacillus cereus,and Candida albicans but was inactive against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Shiguella boydi, Aspergillus fumigatus, Aspergillus flavus, and Aspergillus niger. Acetone extract inhibited in vitro Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella aerogenes, Proteus vulgaris,and Candida albicans but was inactive against Salmonella typhi, Aspergillus fumigatus, Aspergillus flavus,and Aspergillus niger. Methanol extract inhibited in vitro Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhi, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus,and Candida albicans but was inactive against Aspergillus fumigatus, Aspergillus flavus,and Aspergillus niger. Water extract was active in vitro against Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhi, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus, Klebsiella  aerogenes, Proteus vulgaris,and Candida albicans but was inactive against Aspergillus fumigatus, Aspergillus flavus, and Aspergillus niger	[89]
		Methanol and petrol ether extracts from bark	At 200 𝜇g/100 𝜇L, only the methanol extract showed in vitro antibacterial activity upon Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pyogenes, and Escherichia coli and antifungal activity upon Aspergillus niger, Candida albicans, Penicillium notatum, and Saccharomyces cerevisiae	[115]
Anticholinesterase	Latex	Lyophilized latex	Inhibited time- and dose-dependently the acetylcholinesterase enzyme in nervous tissue of freshwater air breathing fish Channa marulius	[116]
	Leaves	Fractions obtained by sequential extraction of the vegetal material with ethyl acetate and methanol	At 2 mg/mL concentration, the ethyl acetate and methanol fractions presented inhibitory activities in vitro of 71 and 100%. The methanol fraction presented IC50 of 0.05 mg/mL	[117]
Antidiarrheal	Fruits	Methanol extract	At 200 and 400 mg/kg, by oral route in mice, inhibited the castor oil induced diarrhea	[110]
	Leaves	Methanol extract	At 200 and 400 mg/kg, by oral route in mice, inhibited the castor oil induced diarrhea	[111]
Antifungal (antidermatophytic fungi)	Aerial parts	Water and ethyl acetate fractions from methanol extract	The minimal concentration producing 75% of inhibition or higher against Microsporus canis, for both fractions, was 1 𝜇g/mL. For the fungus Microsporus gypseum, Microsporus fulvum,and Microsporus gallinae, none of the fraction presented inhibitory activity	[114]
Anti-inflammatory	Aerial parts	Methanol and petrol ether extracts	At 100 and 200 mg/kg/day, over 7 days, by oral route in mice, only the methanol extract presented significant anti-inflammatory activity on carrageenan-induced paw edema	[92]
	Leaves	Aqueous extract	At 100 and 200 𝜇g/mL, significantly prevented the lysis of human red blood cells in membrane stabilization method in vitro	[118]
		Ethanol extract	At 100 𝜇g/mL, significantly prevented the lysis of human red blood cells in membrane stabilization method in vitro	[118]
		Methanol extract and leaf paste	At 500 and 1000 mg/kg, by oral route in rats, inhibited the carrageenan-induced paw edema. At 50 and 100 mg/kg, by oral route in rats, inhibited the cotton pellet induced granuloma formation in rats. At 0.5 and 1 mg/ear, the leaf paste reduced the inflammation response in mouse ear edema model	[28]
	Not specified	Methanol and petrol ether extracts from bark	At 200 mg/kg, by oral route in rats, both extracts reduced the carrageenan-induced paw edema	[115]
Antimalarial	Leaves	Aqueous extract	30 𝜇g inhibited in vitro the growth of Plasmodium falciparum	[31]
		Dichloromethane extract	Active in vitro against Plasmodium falciparum, with IC50 of about 35 𝜇g/mL	[81]
Antineoplasic	Roots	Ethanolic extract and jatrophone	The ethanol extract, as well as jatrophone, exhibited significant inhibitory activity in vitro against cells derived from human carcinoma of the nasopharynx and lymphocytic leukemia P-388 and in vivo against four standard animal tumor systems	[66]
		Falodone	Showed potent proliferation inhibitory activity against A-549 human cancer cell line, with IC50 of 120 𝜇g/mL	[13]
		2𝛼-Hydroxyjatrophone, 2𝛽-hydroxy-5,6-isojatrophone and 2𝛽-hydroxyjatrophone, diterpenes isolated from petrol ether extract	Presented antineoplasic activity upon P-388 lymphocytic leukemia test system both in vivo and in vitro, as well as for the Eagle’s carcinoma of the nasopharynx test system in vitro	[64]
	Not specified	Abiodone	Not specified*	[73]
Antioxidant	Leaves	Methanol, ethyl acetate, and aqueous extract	All extracts showed significant antioxidant activity in vitro in DPPH free radical, ferric thiocyanate, and nitric oxide scavenging methods*	[55]
	Whole plant	Petrol ether, chloroform, ethyl acetate, and n-butanol extracts	All extracts showed only poor DPPH scavenging activity. The total antioxidant capacity was higher in ethyl acetate and n-butanol extracts, having the petrol ether and chloroform showing only poor activity. The lipid peroxidation was inhibited only partially by the extracts, with the ethyl acetate being the most active and the petrol ether being the least	[48]
Antispasmodic	Aerial parts	Ethanol extract, fractions, and subfractions	At 500, 1000, and 2000 mg/kg, by oral route in mice, showed significant antispasmodic activity in mouse intestinal transit model and at 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 mg/mL inhibited in vitro the acetylcholine and calcium-induced contractions of isolated rat jejunum. Only the organic fraction of the extract had a calcium-antagonist effect, whereas both chloroformic and aqueous fractions had anticholinergic effect	[119]
Antiviral	Aerial parts	Water and ethyl acetate fractions from methanol extract	At 1, 10, and 100 𝜇g/mL, both fractions presented 100% of inhibition of plaque-forming ability of Sindbis virus in treatment preinfection protocol (IC50 < 1 𝜇g/mL), while in treatment postinfection, the IC50 of water fraction increased to 512 and acetate fraction increased to 37 𝜇g/mL. For murine cytomegalovirus, IC50 of 1.7 and 1.5 to water and ethyl acetate fractions were observed, respectively, in treatment preinfection protocol. In the treatment postinfection, however, no inhibition was observed in this microorganism	[114]
	Not specified	Methanol extract from barks	Partially active against Sindbis virus and herpes simplex virus-l. Inactive against human poliovirus	[107]
Bronchodilator	Stems	Aqueous extract	The extract was inactive in bronchodilator activity in guinea pigs	[120]
Contraceptive	Leaves	Ethanol extract	At 450 mg/kg/day, over 21 days, by oral route, caused an antifertility activity in female mice	[121]
Healing	Aerial parts	Ethanol 70% extract	At 1 mL/kg dose, by intraperitoneal route in rats, presented beneficial activity in healing process of colonic anastomosis	[122]
	Aerial parts	Ethanol 70% extract	At 200 mg/kg, by intraperitoneal route in rats, favored the healing process of gastrorrhaphies and reduced the acute inflammatory reaction in vivo	[123]
	Leaves	Hydroethanol extract	At 200 mg/kg, by intraperitoneal route, decreased the inflammation and increased vascular neoformation and collagen deposition when compared to the control group in healing process of sutures performed on the bladder of rats. However, in general, no favorable healing effect was observed.	[108]
	Not specified	Ethanolic extract	Although some improvement could be observed in suture healing of ventral abdominal wall of rats treated with 100 mg/kg of extract (intraperitoneal instillation intraperitoneal cavity), in general, only a poor healing activity was observed.	[124]
		Not specified	At 0.1 mL volume, by topical application, the crude extract presented significant differences concerning the macroscopic and microscopic aspects of healing process occurring in open skin lesions in rats	[125]
Hemostatic	Latex	Crude fresh latex	Decreased clotting and bleeding time in healthy subjects	[101]
Hepatoprotective	Aerial parts	Petrol ether, methanol, and water extracts	At 200 mg/kg/day, over 7 days, by oral route in rats, both extracts presented hepatoprotective activity in carbon tetrachloride induced liver damage, with the petrol ether being the most active and the methanol being the least	[126]
Hypotensive and vasorelaxant	Aerial parts	Ethanolic extract	At 125 and 250 mg/kg/day, over 4 weeks, by oral route in rats, in a dose-dependent manner, reduced the systolic blood pressure and produced a concentration-dependent relaxant effect in rat isolated (ex vivo) endothelium-deprived mesenteric artery precontracted with norepinephrine or CaCl2	[45]
Immunomodulatory	Whole plant	Petrol ether extract	At 100, 200, and 400 𝜇g/mL increased the proliferation of mouse spleen cell in vitro	[127]
Local anesthetic	Not specified	Methanol and aqueous extracts	Both extracts presented significant local anesthetic activity by plexus anesthesia in frogs*	[128]
Relaxant effect on uterine smooth muscle (tocolytic activity)	Aerial parts	Ethanolic extract and chloroformic and aqueous fractions	At 0.5 and 1.0 mg/mL, the ethanolic extract reduced the calcium-evoked contractile response of the uterine smooth muscle, as well as the chloroformic fraction. The aqueous fraction presented only slight effect	[129]
Sedative and anxiolytic	Fruits	Methanol extract	At 200 and 400 mg/kg, by oral route in mice, presented sedative effect in the hole cross test; At 200 mg/kg, presented anxiolytic activity in hole board test; At 400 mg/kg, presented anxiolytic activity in elevated plus-maze test	[110]
	Leaves	Methanol extract	At 200 and 400 mg/kg, by oral route in mice, presented sedative effect in the hole cross test; At 200 mg/kg, presented anxiolytic activity in hole board test; At 400 mg/kg, presented anxiolytic in elevated plus-maze test	[111]

∗The complete version of the paper was not accessible, so the information was obtained from its abstract.
IC₅₀: concentration that inhibits 50% of the referred activity.