Cyperus rotundus L.: Traditional uses, phytochemistry, and pharmacological activities.

ETHNO-PHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Cyperus rotundus L. (Cyperaceae) is a medicinal herb traditionally used to treat various clinical conditions at home such as diarrhea, diabetes, pyresis, inflammation, malaria, and stomach and bowel disorders. Currently, it is one of the most widespread, problematic, and economically damaging agronomic weeds, growing wildly in various tropical and subtropical regions of the world. The present paper summarizes the available information that will aid in future medicine preparation by identifying active ingredients and their mode of action for a specific therapeutic activity using the latest technologies. MATERIAL AND METHOD: This review article is based on the information available on the phytochemical, toxicological, and pharmacological studies on and traditional uses of C. rotundus. The present paper covers the literature available particularly from 2000 to 2015 online (Google Scholar, PubMed, ScienceDirect, Scopus, SpringerLink, and Web of Science) and in books on phytochemistry, ethnopharmacology, and botany of this plant. RESULTS: Phytochemical and pharmacological studies revealed the significance of C. rotundus as an antiandrogenic, antibacterial, anticancerous, anticonvulsant, antidiabetic, antidiarrheal, antigenotoxic, anti-inflammatory, antilipidemic, antimalarial, antimutagenic, antiobesity, antioxidant, anti-uropathogenic, hepatoprotective, cardioprotective, neuroprotective, and nootropic agent. This is the most investigated plant worldwide due to the higher concentration of active ingredients in the form of essential oils, phenolic acids, ascorbic acids, and flavonoids in the tuber and rhizomes. Unfortunately, this significant plant species has not been assessed under improved cultivation conditions with the aim of conservation in natural habitats and high quality. CONCLUSION: Reports can be found on the ehtnobotanical use of C. rotundus in atherosclerosis, aging, apoptosis, cancer, cystitis, epilepsy, hirsutism, nociception, prostatitis, and genotoxicity disorders. The phytochemical and pharmacological activities of C. rotundus have supported its traditional as well as prospective uses as a valuable Ayurvedic plant. Previous researches focuses on the phytochemistry, biological properties and clinical application of rhizomes and tubers of C. rotundus. However, such studies on the other parts of this medicinally important plant are still quest to be investigate. Furthermore, future study should aim at confirming the clinical activities and safety of this plant before being used for the development of new therapeutic agent in human subjects.

Contact and fumigant toxicity of Cyperus rotundus steam distillate constituents and related compounds to insecticide-susceptible and -resistant Blattella germanica.

We assessed the toxicity of 17 steam distillate constituents of Cyperus rotundus (L.) rhizome, another seven known compounds of C. rotundus rhizome, and 14 structurally related compounds to females from an insecticide-susceptible KSS strain and two field-collected SEL and DJN colonies of Blattella germanica (L.). High contact + fumigant toxicity to KSS females was produced by p-cymene, nerol, linalool, o-cymene, (S)-(-)-citronellal, (1S)-(-)-camphor, terpinolene, and m-cymene (LD50, 0.29-0.47 mg/cm2). The toxicity of these compounds was virtually identical against females from any of the three strains, even though SEL and DJN females were resistant to six acetylcholinesterase inhibitors and three pyrethroids (resistance ratio, 9-154 and 12-195). These results indicate that the compounds and insecticides do not share a common mode of action or elicit cross-resistance. The test compounds were effective in closed but not in open containers against SEL females, indicating that their route of insecticidal action was largely a result of vapor action. Structure-activity relationship indicates that structural characteristics, such as types of functional groups, appear to play a role in determining the terpenoid toxicities to B. germanica. C. rotundus rhizome steam distillate constituents and related compounds described merit further study as potential fumigants for the control of resistant cockroach populations in light of global efforts to reduce the level of highly toxic synthetic insecticides in indoor environments.

Antinociceptive and anti-hyperglycemic activity of methanol leaf extract of Cyperus scariosus.

The objective of the present study was to investigate the antinociceptive and anti-hyperglycemic activity of methanolic leaf extract of Cyperus scariosus. Antinociceptive activity was determined using a model of acetic acid-induced gastric pain in mice and anti-hyperglycemic activity through glucose tolerance test using glucose loaded mice. In writhing assays induced by acetic acid, the methanolic leaf extract showed dose dependent significant pain inhibition compared to control. The maximum writhing inhibition (46.62%) was found at a dose of 200 mg/kg body weight which was less than that of the positive control, aspirin (56.74%), when used at the same dose. Anti-hyperglycemic activity of the extract was also found to be significant in mice loaded with glucose at doses of 200 and 400 mg/kg body weight. Maximum tolerance (42.86%) was showed at 400 mg extract/kg body weight, which compared favorably with that of glibenclamide at 10 mg/kg body weight (57.62%). In summary, the methanol extract of C. scariosus leaves has had beneficial effects as a pain reliever and also in reducing the elevated blood glucose level of hyperglycemic mice.

Toxicity of botanical insecticides on golden apple snail (Pomacea canaliculata).

The molluscicidal activity of crude extracts from five highly potential plants, Annona squamosa seed, Nerium indicum Leaves, Stemona tuberose root, Cyperus rotundus corm and Derris elliptica root was assessed to Pomacea canaliculata. D. elliptica root and C. rotundus corm extracts showed the highest toxicity against 3-month old snails which have LC50 as 23.68 +/- 2.96 mg/l and 133.20 +/- 7.94 mg/l, respectively. The C. rotundus corm extracts were chosen for detoxification enzyme in vivo assay which shows esterase and glutathione S-transferase activity in stomach, intestinal tracts and digestive glands of survival treated P. canaliculata were inhibited.