Ethnopharmacology, Phytochemistry, and Pharmacological Activities of Spatholobus suberectus Vine Stem

Abstract

Spatholobus suberectus vine stem is an important medicinal material in Chinese, Vietnamese, and Korean traditional medicines. Its decoction has long been used to treat blood disorders, such as anemia and menstrual irregularity, as well as rheumatoid diseases. Previous phytochemical investigations characterized 88 compounds from S suberectus, which mainly belonged to the phenolic class, especially of the flavonoid type. Pharmacological studies showed the beneficial effects of extracts of the plant on the cardiovascular tract, which is ethnopharmacologically relevant to the plant's use in traditional medicine. Besides that, the extracts and isolated compounds also exhibited antimicrobial, anticancer, antiinflammatory, and antioxidant activities. The past study results support the use of S suberectus vine stem in traditional medicine and also revealed new directions of pharmacological effects of this medicinal plant.