title: Brazilin from Caesalpinia sappan heartwood and its pharmacological activities: A review.
abstract: Caesalpinia sappan L. (CS) is a plant of Leguminosae family, commonly known as Brazil or Sappan wood. CS is distributed in Southeast Asia and its dried heartwood has been used as traditional ingredient of food or beverages and has a wide variety of medicinal properties. Higher extraction yield of CS wood was achieved with 95% ethanol for 2 h. Chemical constituent's investigation of sappan wood resulted in the isolation of various structural types of phenolic components including one xanthone, one coumarin, three chalcones, two flavones three homoisoflavonoids and brazilin. Brazilin [(6a S-cis)-7, 11b-dihydrobenz[b]indeno[1,2-d]pyran-3,6a,9,10(6H)- tetrol], a major and active compound found in CS heartwood. Most of the folkloric uses of brazilin were validated by the scientific studies such as antioxidant, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, anti-photoaging, hypoglycemic, vasorelaxant, hepatoprotective and anti-acne activity. CS heartwood extract is safe and did not produce any acute or subacute toxicity in both male and female rats. Brazilin is the safe natural compound having potential to develop as a medicinal compound with application in food, beverage, cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries to screen its clinical use in modern medicine. The information gained could provide the important and potential approach for pharmaceutical researcher to implicate the knowledge of brazilin in the formulation of new drug and to reveal therapeutic and gaps requiring future research opportunities. More studies are needed to evaluate the potential application of brazilin as preservative and coloring agent in food processing industries.
authors.affiliation: Center for Nutrition and Food Sciences, Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, University of Queensland, Health and Food Sciences Precinct, Block 10, 39 Kessels Road, Coopers Plains, Acherfield Brisbane, QLD 4108, Australia. Electronic address: nirmalnp21@yahoo.co.in.
authors.forename: Nilesh P
authors.initials: NP
authors.lastname: Nirmal
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Biochemistry, MGM Medical College, A.B. Road, Indore 452001, MP, India.
authors.forename: Mithun S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Rajput
authors.affiliation: Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Technology Research Group, Nano Research for Advanced Materials, Bangalore 5600040, Karnataka, India.
authors.forename: Rangabhatla G S V
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Prasad
authors.affiliation: Institute of Nutrition, Mahidol University, 999 Phutthamonthon 4 Rd., Salaya, Nakhon Pathom 73170, Thailand.
authors.forename: Mehraj
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ahmad
keywords: Brazilin; Caesalpinia sappan; Extraction; Heartwood; Pharamcological activities