Advances in chemical compounds and pharmacological effects of Dendrobii Caulis / 中草药

ABSTRACT

Dendrobium represents one of the most important orchid genera with ornamental and medicinal values. The stems of Dendrobium species have been used as Dendrobii Caulis in traditional Chinese medicine for a thousand years, which manifest a diversity of medicinal effects including tonic, analgesic, antipyretic, and anti-inflammatory. In recent decades, about 100 compounds have been found and identified from the medicinal parts of more than 40 Dendrobium species, which include polysaccharide, alkaloids, flavonoids, phenols, terpenoids, amino acids, trace elements, coumarin, tanning, sterols, etc. This review focus on main research conducted during the last decade on Dendrobii Caulis and their constituents, which have been studied on their pharmacological effects involving immunomodulatory activities, antidiabetic, anticancer, anti-oxidant, anti-aging, hepatoprotective, anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, cardiovascular protective, enterogastric strengthening, anti-angiogenesis, allergic dermatitis symptoms improving, antifatigue, antiplatelet aggregation, etc. Simultaneously, the key research problems and the future development on Dendrobium are prospected.