title: Chemistry and biology of the genus Voacanga.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Herbal remedies have been employed for the treatment and management of various ailments since the beginning of human civilization. Voacanga is an extensive genus of the family Apocynaceae and consists of small trees inhabiting the tropical and subtropical regions of Africa. Voacanga plants have been used in the treatment of leprosy, diarrhea, and generalized edema, convulsions in children as well as to treat cases of orchitis, ectopic testes and gonorrhea.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this review is to present as much information as was established from the available scientific literature. The present review comprises the ethnopharmacological, phytochemical and therapeutic potential of the plant genus Voacanga.
  
  
  METHODS
  The present review reports on 111 natural products as found in 44 references compiled from the major databases, viz., Chemical Abstracts, Science Direct, SciFinder, PubMed, Dr. Dukes Phytochemical and Ethnobotany, CIMER, and InteliHealth.
  
  
  RESULTS
  An exhaustive survey of the literature revealed that indole alkaoids and steroids constitute the major classes of phytoconstituents of this genus. Pharmacological reports revealed that products derived from this genus have been used for the treatment of cancer, and for CNS, cardiotonic, antituberculosis, acetylcholinesterase (AChE), butyrylcholinesterase, antagonistic, anti-diarrheal activities.
authors: Department of Biological Sciences and Chemistry, College of Arts and Sciences, University of Nizwa, Birkat Al-Mouz, Nizwa, Sultanate of Oman. Hidayat110@gmail.com
authors: Hidayat
authors: H
authors: Hussain
authors: Javid
authors: J
authors: Hussain
authors: Ahmed
authors: A
authors: Al-Harrasi
authors: Ivan R
authors: IR
authors: Green
mesh_terms: D000349:Africa; D000470:Alkaloids / Q000032:analysis / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000818:Animals; D006801:Humans; D016488:Medicine, African Traditional; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D013045:Species Specificity; D036902:Voacanga / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000470:Alkaloids; D010936:Plant Extracts