Bioactive compounds in Euryale ferox Salisb. and their nutritional and therapeutic actions-a review
摘要
Euryale ferox is a rooted floating macrophyte distributed in India, China, Korea and Japan. It is cultivated in about ten districts of the Mithila region in northern Bihar. Wild populations of E. ferox are found in different parts of Northern India Including the northwestern Lakes of Kasmir up to the lakes of the Manipulator in the East. States like Assam, Tripura, and erstwhile Bengal including today’s Bangladesh and West Bengal in India are also known for having wild populations of this macrophyte including the bordering areas of Nepal between the Kosi and Bagmati rivers. The plant is a rich source of good-quality starch and protein. On account of being almost fatless, it is in high demand in affluent countries. Major parts of this plant are rich sources of secondary metabolites like polyphenols, sequineolignans, tocopherols, cyclic dipeptides, cerebrosides, glucosylsterols and triterpenoids. These secondary metabolites have multiple pharmacological effects such as hypoglycemic, cardioprotective, antibacterial, anticancer, anti-depression, antioxidant and hepatoprotective properties. The Indigenous people in north-eastern states utilize vegetative parts, thus, there is a need to undertake further detailed investigations on phytochemicals present in different parts of this plant.