Traditional Uses, Chemical Constituents and Pharmacological Activities of the Toona sinensis Plant

Abstract

Toona sinensis (A. Juss.) Roem., which is widely distributed in China, is a homologous plant resource of medicine and food. The leaves, seeds, barks, buds and pericarps of T. sinensis can be used as medicine with traditional efficacy. Due to its extensive use in traditional medicine in the ancient world, the T. sinensis plant has significant development potential. In this review, 206 compounds, including triterpenoids (1–133), sesquiterpenoids (134–135), diterpenoids (136–142), sterols (143–147), phenols (148–167), flavonoids (168–186), phenylpropanoids (187–192) and others (193–206), are isolated from the T. sinensis plant. The mass spectrum cracking laws of representative compounds (64, 128, 129, 154–156, 175, 177, 179 and 183) are reviewed, which are conducive to the discovery of novel active substances. Modern pharmacological studies have shown that T. sinensis extracts and their compounds have antidiabetic, antidiabetic nephropathy, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antitumor, hepatoprotective, antiviral, antibacterial, immunopotentiation and other biological activities. The traditional uses, chemical constituents, compound cracking laws and pharmacological activities of different parts of T. sinensis are reviewed, laying the foundation for improving the development and utilization of its medicinal value.