Phytochemical and biological studies od Launaea Cass. Genus ( Asteracea) from Algerian sahara

Abstract

Traditional remedies have been employed for the treatment and management of various ailments since the beginning of human civilization. Launaea Cass. is a small genus of the family Asteraceae (tribe Lactuceae, subtribe Sonchinae), consisting of 54 species, of which 9 are presented in the flora of Algeria and is mainly distributed in the South Mediterranean, Africa and SW Asia. Plants in the Launaea genus have been used ethnobotanically as bitter stomachic, for treating diarrhea, gastrointestinal tracts, as anti-inflammatory, for skin diseases, treatment of infected wounds, hepatic pains, children fever, as soporific, lactagogue, diuretic and as insecticidal. The aim of this review is to present as much information as was established from the available scientific literature. The review covers the ethnopharmacological, biological activity related and phytochemical information on the species from genus Launaea, especially those growing in Algerian Sahara and used as medicinal plants.

Full text

Phytochemical and biological studies on Launaea Cass.
genus (Asteraceae) from Algerian Sahara
ABSTRACT
Traditional remedies have been employed for the
treatment and management of various ailments
since the beginning of human civilization. Launaea
Cass. is a small genus of the family Asteraceae
(tribe Lactuceae, subtribe Sonchinae), consisting
of 54 species, of which 9 are presented in the
flora of Algeria and is mainly distributed in
the South Mediterranean, Africa and SW Asia.
Plants in the Launaea genus have been used
ethnobotanically as bitter stomachic, for treating
diarrhea, gastrointestinal tracts, as anti-inflammatory,
for skin diseases, treatment of infected wounds,
hepatic pains, children fever, as soporific, lactagogue,
diuretic and as insecticidal. The aim of this review
is to present as much information as was established
from the available scientific literature. The review
covers the ethnopharmacological, biological activity
related and phytochemical information on the species
from genus Launaea, especially those growing in
Algerian Sahara and used as medicinal plants.
KEYWORDS: Asteraceae, Launaea Cass.,
ethnopharmacological, biological activities,
phytochemical, Sahara
INTRODUCTION
The World Health Organization (WHO) has
recognized the potential utility of traditional
remedies and strives to preserve the primary
health care involving medicinal plants. Thus, there is
ample archaeological evidence indicating that
medicinal plants were regularly employed by
people in prehistoric times. In several ancient
cultures botanical products were ingested for
biomedically curative and psychotherapeutic
purposes [1]. Plants have formed the basis of
Traditional Medicine (TM) systems that have been
in existence for thousands of years and continue
to provide mankind with new remedies, such as,
the oldest known medicinal systems of the world:
Ayurveda, Arabian medicine, Chinese and Kempo
medicine. Although some of the therapeutic
properties attributed to plants have proven to be
erroneous, medicinal plant therapy is based on the
empirical findings of hundreds and thousands of
years [2]. One of the most efficient ways of
finding new bioactive compounds is collecting
data on the use of medicinal plants in traditional
pharmacopeia. Nearly 50,000 species of higher
plants have been used for medicinal purposes.
They are also used in food, cleaning, personal care
and perfumery. In systems of traditional healing,
major pharmaceutical drugs have been either
derived from or patterned after compounds from
biological diversity [3]. Natural products have
made enormous contributions to human health
through compounds such as quinine, morphine,
aspirin (a natural product analog), digitoxin and
many others. Thus natural products are very
important to conduct research on and they can be
a source of new compounds [4]. A trend in
phytomedicine is the use of new plant origin
bioactive compounds with the potential for chemical
modification, which will broaden phytomedical
1
Phytochemistry and Organic Synthesis Laboratory,
2
Bioactive Molecules and Chiral Separation
Laboratory, University of Bechar, Bechar, 08000, Algeria
Abdelkrim Cheriti
1,
*
, Mebarka Belboukhari
1
, Nasser Belboukhari
2
and Houria Djeradi
1
*karimcheriti@yahoo.com
Current Topics in
Phytochemistry
Vol. 11, 2012

68 Abdelkrim Cheriti et al.
L. pinnatifida, L. resedifolia and L. tenuiloba.
Different secondary metabolites including terpenoids,
steroids, triterpenoid saponin, sesquiterpene lactones,
coumarins, flavonoids, flavone glycosides and
phenolic compounds have been reported.
We attempt to present a review on the
ethnopharmacological and phytochemical studies
and biological activities of plants from the genus
Launaea Cass., especially those growing in Algerian
Sahara and used as medicinal plants.
Botanical taxonomy of the genus Launaea Cass.
Asteraceae family (Compositae), known as the
aster, daisy or sunflower family, is one of the largest
angiosperm families of dicotyledenous flowering
plants. It comprises about 1400 genera and more
than 25000 species of herbaceous plants, shrubs,
and trees, spread throughout the world, and
classified over three subfamilies and 17 tribes
[10]. Asteraceae plants tend to grow in sunlit
places, in temperate and subtropical regions and
can share these following characters [11]:
Various members of the aster family are familiar
species in natural habitats, while others are
cultivated plants in gardens and some are grown
as food (Lactuca sativa). Many members of
Asteraceae are pollinated by insects, which
explain their value in attracting beneficial insects
and are major honey plants.
The flowers of this family are of two basic types:
tubular actinomorphic corollas and those with
strap shaped or radiate zygomorphic corollas,
often with the same head. Either type may be
bisexual or unisexual.
Leaves and stems very often contain secretory
canals with resin or latex (particularly common
among the Cichorioideae). The leaves can be
alternate, opposite, or whorled. They may be
simple, but are often deeply lobed or otherwise
incised, and conduplicated or revoluted. The margins
can be entire or dentate.
The fruit of Asteraceae is a specialized type of
achene sometimes called cypsela. One seed per
fruit is formed.
Due to their chemo-diversity, the sesquiterpene
lactones are the most suitable class of naturals
importance. Molecular biology is also being used
in this process and the pharmacological profiles of
these compounds are screened using new research
equipment and new technology [5-8]. Natural
products and their derivatives represent more than
50% of all the drugs in clinical use in the world
and in which higher plants contribute to no less
than 25% [2].
A dozen potent drugs have been derived from
plants including: derived diosgenin; reserpine and
pilocarpine. Other natural products are metabolites
from fungi, bacteria, algae, and marine organisms.
So, the diversity of structures obtained and the
different therapeutic activities shown by the
natural products make the isolation, identification,
synthesis and biosynthesis of new natural
compounds a field of enormous interest. Only a
small part of the 400,000 vegetable species known
have so far been investigated for their phytochemical
and pharmacological aspects, and each species
could contain up to several thousands of different
components [9].
The plant family Asteraceae (Compositae) comprises
of a large number of species that have been and
are still used as medicinal plants, particularly in
folk medicine and used as a food.
Launaea Cass. is a small genus of the family
Asteraceae (tribe Lactuceae, subtribe Sonchinae).
The genus consists of 54 species, of which 9 are
presented in the flora of Algeria and is mainly
distributed in the South Mediterranean, Africa and
SW Asia. They are perennial to annual herbs,
small shrubs or sub shrubs. Many of its plants are
used in folk medicine as bitter stomachic, for
treating diarrhea, gastrointestinal tracts, as anti-
inflammatory, for skin diseases, treatment of
infected wounds, hepatic pains, children fever, as
soporific, lactagogue, diuretic and as insecticidal.
Additionally, crude extracts of some species have
been reported to exhibit antibacterial, antiparasitic,
antioxidant, cytotoxic, neuropharmacological and
insecticidal activities. From a chemical point of
view, only ten species of the genus Launaea Cass.
have been subjected to previous phytochemical
investigation, namely, Launaea acanthoclada,
L. arborescens, L. asplenifolia, L. capitata,
L. cassiniana, L. mucronata, L. nudicaulis,

which is endemic to south west Algeria and south
east Morocco [17].
Launaea arborescens (Batt.) Murb, (syn. Zollikoferia
spinosa DC) is an almost leafless, xerophilous,
perennial spiny shrub, 40-120 cm. high, with typical
zig-zag shaped stems (Figure 1). The young stems
are green, glabrous and erect. The older ones
become tough spines. The leaves are narrow and
dissected in small lobes, evergreen at the base but
shed after flowering from the stems. The flowers
are yellow, and abundant flowering occurs from
March to June, but flowers and achenes are
produced throughout the year. The roots are very
deep, the leaves and stems have white latex which
is similar in appearance to milk (thus the local
name “Oum loubina”) [15-18].
Ethnopharmacolgy and bioactivity of the genus
Launaea Cass.
It is well known that species from Asteraceae family
are used as natural remedies such as: Anthemis
arvensis L. (anti-inflammatory, emetic, sedative),
Artemisia arborescens L. (digestive, stimulant,
expectorant), Calendula arvensis (antispasmodic,
burns, diuretic, disinfectant and vulnerary), Cichorium
intybus L. (blood purification, arteriosclerosis,
anti-arthritis, anti-spasmodic, digestive, hypotensive,
aperitif and laxative) and Helychrysum microphyllum
Willd. (expectorant).
Phytochemical and biological studies on the Saharan Launaea 69
products for chemo-systematic studies within the
family [12, 13].
The tribe Lactuceae Cass. The tribe Lactuceae
(Cichorieae, Asteraceae family) comprises 98
genera and more than 1550 species. The milky
latex and the floral structure make the tribe easily
distinguishable from all other Asteraceae. The
flowering heads are composed of wholly ligulate
florets that are usually 5-lobed [10].
According to classification system on flowering
plants [14], the classification hierarchy of the
genus Launaea can be tracked as follows:
Kingdom : Plantae
Division : Angiosperms
Class : Eudicots
Subclass : Asterids
Order : Asterales
Family : Asteraceae
Subfamily : Cichorioideae
Tribe : Lactuceae (Cichorieae)
Sub-tribe : Sonchinae
Genus : Launaea
The genus Launaea Cass. belongs to the tribe
Lactuceae of the Asteraceae family and contains
about 54 species, most of which are adapted to
dry, saline and sandy habits [15]. Plants of this
genus have several rows of stems, hairless leaves
incised into lobes that are themselves lined with
white teeth, membranous scales on the edges,
yellow ligules, and elongated chain, prismatic or
slightly flattened.
The genus Launaea is represented in the flora of
Algeria by nine species including five endemics
of North Africa: L. angustifolia, L. quercifolia,
and L. cassiniana are the endemic plants of the
North Africa, with limited distribution [15, 16],
whereas L. acanthoclada and L. arborescens
are two endemic plants of the north-west of
Africa. The other four species L. nudicaulis
and L. residifolia sprout in Algeria and Tunisia
Mediterranean Sea, whereas L. glomerata and
L. mucronata grow in the Saharan Atlas [16].
Three of this species are used in Algerian
Sahara ethnopharmacopea as medicinal plants,
L. nudicaulis, L. residifolia and L. arborescens,
Figure 1. Launaea arborescens (Batt.) and flower–
south west Algeria.

70 Abdelkrim Cheriti et al.
On the other hand, triterpenoids and flavonoids
chemio-characteristic of Asteraceae family, including
the Launaea genus, have been reported to have
anti-inflammatory activities, anti-hyperlipidemia,
hepatoprotection, antioxidant, cytoprotective, giving
protection against cardiovascular disease, and
certain forms of cancer [25, 26]. Antibacterial,
antifungal and allelopathic potential activities have
been proven for many species of Launaea. In an
antibacterial assay against Bacillus subtilis the
extracts of L. nudicaulis and L. residifolia showed
18.5 and 20.5 mm zones of inhibition, respectively,
as determined by the disc diffusion method. The
antifungal activity against Aspergillus spp. was
determined by measuring the linear growth in
slants on 4
th
day of incubation. Methanol extracts
of L. nudicaulis and L. residifolia were active
at 0.209 mg/ml levels exhibiting 45 ± 6 mm and
37 ± 6 mm linear growth which decreased to 22 ±
5 mm and 28 ± 4 mm, respectively, at 0.838
mg/ml concentration [27].
As a part of our works on medicinal plants of
Algerian Sahara, recently we have reported the
antibacterial activity of extracts from Launaea
Arborescens and L. nudicaulis which are widely
distributed in the south west of Algeria. The
methanol extract of the aerial part of L. nudicaulis
showed high activities against Candida albicans,
Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and
Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The highest inhibition
observed in S. aureus, a human pathogen, explains
the use of this plant against a number of infections
for generations. Very interesting antifungal activity
against Candida albicans and Saccharomyces
cerevisae and antibacterial activity against
Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli,
Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Klebsiella entrecocus
have been reported for the methanol extract of
Launaea Arborescens [18, 28].
Hydroalcoholic extract from aerial parts of
Launaea arborescens was evaluated for acute and
subacute toxicity in Swiss mice after ingestions of
the extract. The LD50 of the extract is higher than
2.75 g/kg and the subacute treatment did not shows
any change in corporal weight and haematological
parameters, which suggest that the plant seems to
be destituted of toxic effects in mice [29].
Algeria with its large area and diversified climate
has a varied flora, which is a source of rich and
abundant medical matter and, in particular, Sahara
part constitutes an important reservoir of many
plants which have not been investigated until today.
Among this flora, some Launaea plants have been
used in the traditional medicine [17-19]. Species
of the genus Launaea are widely applied in
traditional folk medicine throughout their areas of
distribution. Many of them are used in folk
medicine as bitter stomachic, anti-tumour, insecticides
and against skin diseases.
Launaea residifolia (Vernacular name: Lemkar) is
a medicinal plant used in folkloric medicine
mainly for the treatment of hepatic pains.
Launaea nudicaulis (Vernacular name: Reghama)
is used in the traditional medicine to treat gastric
b
urns, pain of stomach, constipation, to relieve
fever in children, in the treatment of itches of
skin and eczema.
Launaea arborescens (Batt) (Vernacular name:
Oum Lbina) commonly used in popular medicine
as an antidiarrhoic and antispasmodic, to relieve
fever, and as a vermifuge in children. The latex is
applied locally to cure sore throats and in the
treatment of furuncles. The powdered root mixed
with Artemisia herba-alba is taken for diabetes.
The plant is appreciated by livestock, mainly by
camel [17-21].
Many phytochemicals are potent effectors of
biologic processes and have the capacity to
influence disease risk via several complementary
and overlapping mechanisms [22].
More than 4000 sesquiterpenoids structures with
around 30 different skeletal types have so far been
reported from several tribes of Asteraceae family
including the Cichorieae tribe. These natural
compounds are responsible for allergic contact
dermatitis and exhibit a wide range of bioactivities
which include plant growth regulation and
antimicrobial activity. Also they are used as
schistosomicidal and insect feeding-deterrent agents.
In addition, they provoke the toxicity for certain
cancer cell lines by inhibition of nuclear DNA
synthesis, especially the enzymatic activity in
tumour cells of DNA polymerase and thymidylate
synthetase [12, 23, 24].

Phytochemical and biological studies on the Saharan Launaea 71
damage in rats, through antioxidant and free
radical scavenging effects of flavonoids and
saponins present in this plant, which might be
responsible for the elimination of various kidneys
insults [34].
Phytochemistry of the genus Launaea Cass.
a. Secondary metabolites from the 2ed group of
Lactuceae tribe
The biodiversity of metabolite products isolated
from Asteraceae makes this family an important
phytochemical and commercial source. Several
phytochemical studies of some genera of Lactuceae
tribe (Cichorieae) revealed to be rich in secondary
metabolites, specifically sesquiterpene lactones
exhibiting the eudesmane, germacrane and guaiane
carbon framework. A total of 360 sesquiterpene
lactones and related compounds have been
isolated from 139 taxa belonging to 31 different
genera of the Lactuceae. Studies realized for these
genera revealed that most sesquiterpenoids within
the Cichorieae belong to the guaianolide class,
particularly: 92 representatives of costus lactone
type, 75 compounds of lactucin type, and 29
representatives of hieracin type [35, 36].
Some phenolic compounds, such as flavonoids and
coumarins were also isolated [37-42]. In addition,
triterpenes have also been detected [43, 44].
Recently, Sareedenchai and Zidorn indicated that
a total of 135 flavonoids have been isolated from
299 species of the Cichorieae (Lactuceae) tribe.
The reported compounds encompass flavanones,
flavanonols, flavones, flavonols, anthocyanidins,
isoflavonoids, chalcones and aurone [45].
Based on the similarity of their sesquiterpenes
profiles, Zidorn grouped the 31 genera of the
Lactuceae into seven main clusters and classified
Launaea with the 2ed group characterized by the
prevalence of guaianolides, formed by 11 genera,
sub-divided into four sub-groups: a) Scorzoneroides;
b) Notoseris, Lactuca, and Cichorium; c) Launaea,
Crepidiastrum, Reichardia, and Cicerbita d)
Taraxacum, Helminthotheca, and Hypochaeris [35].
Phytochemical investigation of 2ed group of the
Cichorieae tribe resulted in the identification and
isolation of differents metabolites including:
Aerial part and roots of Launeae arborescens
were used to evaluate their extracts for antifungal
activity against Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. albedinis
Foa. The antifungal test was conducted using disc
diffusion technique and relative virulence (RV)
test (on potato tuber tissue). For both tests, four
extract quantities were used (200, 400, 800 and
1,600 µg). The relative virulence was presented as
necrotic tissue weight (mg) of potato tuber tissue.
Among all solvents, methanol had the best extraction
yield (mean: 6.35%, minimum: 2.27%, maximum:
9.80%) [30].
Coumarins isolated from L. resedifolia showed
high antibacterial activity against some Gram-
positive bacteria such as Bacillus cereus and
Staphyllococcus aureus in minimum inhibitory
concentrations of 200 and 400 µg/mL. However,
they showed no effect on tested Gram-negative
bacteria such as Serratia Sp., Pseudomonas Sp.
and Escherichia coli [31]. The ethanol extract
of L. resedifolia showed neuropharmacological
properties in animal models. The extract exhibited
an inhibitory effect on the locomotor activity of
mice in the open field test, an anti-nociceptive
effect by increasing the hot plate reaction time in
the hot plate test, and an anti-inflammatory
activity in the carrageen-induced paw oedema.
This finding has demonstrated that the extract of
L. resedifolia possesses sedative, analgesic and
anti-inflammatory properties, and some effect on
body weight. The anti-infl ammatory effect of the
plant was found to be as active as the prototype
non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID)
aspirin [32].
Allelopathic potential effect of aqueous extract of
Launaea procumbens was observed in the soil
application by a significant retarding effect on
wheat growth while shoot spray or root dip
treatment had no such effect and methanol and
chloroform fraction from this specie exhibited
efficient antioxidant scavenging activities, attributed
to the phenolic and polyphenolic compounds such
as myricetin, catechin, vitexin, orientin, hyperoside
and rutin, revealed in HPLC [33].
Other research has shown that extracts from
Launaea procumbens provide effective protection
for kidneys against the CCl
4
-induced oxidative

72 Abdelkrim Cheriti et al.
8-Deoxylactucin 16. The eudesmane derivatives
santamarin 17, ixerisoside E 18, lactuside D 19,
sonchuside C 20 and artesin 21 [39, 46], costinolide
type germacranolides such as picriside B 22, C 23,
sonchuside A 24, B 25 and cichoerioside C 26, [41,
47, 48], and melampolides type, lactulide A 27,
lactuside A 28 and B 29 [38, 39, 49, 50] and in some
case sesquiterpenoid sulphate, 8-deoxy-15-(3’-
hydroxy-2’-methylpropanoyl) lactucin-3’sulfate 30 [51].
Sesquiterpenoids
Costus lactone type guaianolides such as
dehydrocostruslactone 1, ixerisoside B 2, C 3 and D
4, scorzoside 5, zaluzanin C 6, glucozaluzanin C
7, 11 β,13-dihydrozaluzanin C 8, 8β-hydroxy-4 β,15-
dihydrozaluzanin C 9 and prenantheside C 10 [38, 39].
Lactucin type guaianolides, Lactucin 11, 8-O-acetate
Lactucin 12, Crepidiaside A 13, 11β, 13dihydrolactucin
14, 8-O-acetate, 11β, 13 dihydrolactucin 15 and
R
5
R
2
R
1
R
4
R
3
O
O
R
6
H
H
1-10
R
1
R
2
R
3
R
4
R
5
R
6
1
H,H CH
2
H H
CH
2
CH
2
2
α H,β OGlc α CH
3
,βH β OH H CH
2
CH
2
3
α H,β OGlc CH
2
H H CH
2
α CH
3
,βH
4
H,H CH
2
H α OGlc CH
2
CH
2
5
H,H CH
2
H α OGlc CH
2
α CH
3
,β
6
α H,β OH CH
2
H H CH
2
CH
2
7
α H,β OGlc CH
2
H H CH
2
CH
2
8
α H,β OH CH
2
H H CH
2
α CH
3
,βH
9
α H,β OH α CH
3
,βH β OH H CH
2
CH
2
10
α H,β OGlc CH
2
α OH H CH
2
α CH
3
,Βh
O
R
3
R
2
R
1
O
O
3
14
12
11
6
5
10
1
15
13
O
HO
O
O
R
H
11 : R
1
= R
3
=OH , R
2
=H
12 : R
1
= OAc , R
2
=H , R
3
=OH
13 : R
1
=R
2
=H , R
3
=O-glc
14 : R=OH
15 : R = OAc
16 : R=H
OR
3
R
4
O
R
1
R
2
H
17-19
R
1
R
2
R
3
R
4
17
OH H ,H CH
3
CH
2
18
OH H ,H CH
2
OGlc CH
2
19
O-PPA H ,H CH
2
OGlc CH
2

O
R
2
R
3
O
R
1
20-21
R
1
R
2
R
3
20
H α H, β OGlc α CH
3
, β H
21
OH H, H α CH
3
, β H
R
2
R
1
O
O
R
3
R
4
R
5
R
6
22-26
R
1
R
2
R
3
R
4
R
5
R
6
22
H CH
2
OGlc H H CH
3
CH
2
23
OGlc CH
3
H H CH
3
CH
2
24
O-Glc CH
3
H H CH
3
α CH
3
, β H
25
OGlc CH
3
H O-PMP CH
3
CH
2
26
OGlc CH
3
OH H CH
3
α CH
3
, β H
R
2
R
4
O
R
5
O
R
3
R
1
27-29
R
1
R
2
R
3
R
4
R
5
27
OH CH
3
H CHO α CH
3
,βH
28
OGlc CH
3
H CHO α CH
3
,βH
29
OGlc CH
3
H CH
2
OH α CH
3
,βH
O
O
O
O
O
NaO
3
SO
30
Phytochemical and biological studies on the Saharan Launaea 73
taraxerol 33, taraxeryl acetate 34, taraxasterol 35,
taraxasterone 36, taraxasteryl acetate 37, ψ-
taraxasteryl derivatives 38, 39, α-amyrin
derivatives 40, 41, lupeol 42, lupenone 43, and
lupenyl acetate 44 [39, 44].
Terpenoids
The majority of these triterpenes are pentacyclic
and belong to lupane, oleanane, gammacerane and
ursane groups, with some tetracyclic compounds
such as β-amyrin 31, β-amyrin acetate 32,

74 Abdelkrim Cheriti et al.
luteolin 7,4’-O-diglucoside 73, luteolin 7-O-
gentiobioside-4’-O-glucoside 74, luteolin 7,3’-O-
diglucoside 75 and isoetin glycosides, 7-O-
glucoside 76, 7-O-glucoside-2’-O-arabinoside 77,
7-O-glucoside-2’-O-xyloside 78, 7-O-glucoside-
2’-O-(4-O-acetyl)-xyloside 79. It is well noted
that flavonoids are considered as chemosystematic
markers in the tribe Cichorieae of the Asteraceae
family. Furthermore, usually coumarin compounds
are found in the 2ed group of the Cichorieae tribe
such as, umbelliferone 80, scopoletin 81, esculetin
82 and cichoriin 83 [41, 45, 52, 53].
Phenolic compounds
Several phenolic compounds were identified in
the aerial parts and roots of some species of the
2ed group of Lactuceae tribe such as small phenolic
compounds: p-hydroxybenzoic acids, 4- caffeoylquinic,
chlorogenic, trans-caffeate, methyl and ethyl p-
hydroxyphenylacetate, and p- coumaric, affeic
acids as well as their glycoside derivatives,
dihydroconiferin, syringin and dihydrosyringin
[38, 39]. In addition this group of Lactuceae tribe
contains various flavonoids and flavonoid glycosides
such as flavanone type: 7-hydroxyflavanone 45,
7-methoxyflavanone 46, naringenin 47, naringenin
7-methyl ether 48, miscanthoside 49, hesperitin
50, quercetin derivatives: Isorhamnetin 51, quercetin
7-O-glucoside 52, quercetin 7-O-gentiobioside 53,
hyperin 54, quercetin 3-O-glucuronide 55, quercetin
3-O-rhamnoside 56, quercetin 3-O-rutinoside 57,
isorhamnetin 3-O-glucoside 58 and isorhamnetin
3-O-glucuronide 59. Various apigenin, luteolin
and isoetin groups were founds in the tribe such
as: Apigenin 4’-methyl ether 60, apigenin 4’-O-
glucoside 61, apigenin 7-O-glucoside 62, scutellarin
A 63, apigenin 7-O-gentiobioside 64, linarin 65,
luteolin 66, luteolin 4’-O-glucoside
67, luteolin
7-O-galactoside 68, luteolin 7-O-glucoside 69,
luteolin 7-O-rhamnoside 70, luteolin 7-O-
gentiobioside 71, luteolin 7-O-rutinoside 72,
31 R= α H, βOH
32 R= α H, βOAc
R
33 R= OH
34 R= OAc
R
35 R= α H, βOH
36 R= O
37 R= α H, βOAc
R
38 R= α H, βOH
39 R= α H, βOAc
R
40 R= α H, βOH
41 R= α H, βOAc
R
42 R=α H, βOH
43 R= O
44 R= α H, βOAc
H
H
R
O
O
R
2
R
1
R
3
R
4
45-50
R
1
R
2
R
3
R
4
45
H OH H H
46
H OCH
3
H H
47
OH OH H OH
48
OH OCH
3
H OH
49
OH O-Glc OH OH
50
OH OH OH OCH
3

Phytochemical and biological studies on the Saharan Launaea 75
b. Secondary metabolites isolated from the
Saharan Launaea genus
Different secondary metabolites have been identified
from the genus Launaea. In addition, few
sesquiterpene lactones have been reported from
various species of this genus and the occurrence
of flavones glycosides is remarkable. The first
works in phytochemistry on species of the genus
Launaea was started in 1969 by Prabhu and
Venkateswarlu [54], when they isolated from
leaves and roots of launaea pinnatifida two
compounds Taraxasterol 35 and Taraxerly acetate
37. Five year after, in 1974, Bahadur and Sharma
[55] reported the presence of palmitic, stearic,
oleic and linoleic acids from the roots of Launaea
nudicaulis. Twenty year ago, in 1989, Gupta et al.
[56] investigated Launaea asplenifolia and isolated
nine compounds namely, taraxasterol, taraxasterone,
taraxasteryl acetate and the common compounds
stigmasterol, ethypalmitate, ethylstearate, hexacosanol,
octacosanol and octacosanoic acid.
Launaea nudicaulis
The light petroleum extract of Launaea nudicaulis
leads to the characterization of some ∆
7
and ∆
5
phytosterols: β-sitosterol, brassicasterol, campesterol,
stigmasterol, fucosterol, 24β-∆
7
-ergosten-3β-ol and
stigmasta-7,24(28)-dien-3-ol [57]. Detailed chemical
investigation of Launaea nudicaulis yielded some
O
O
R
3
O
OR
2
OR
5
OR
4
OR
1
51-59
R
1
R
2
R
3
R
4
R
5
51
H H H CH
3
H
52
H H Glc H H
53
H H
Gen H H
54
Gal H H H H
55
Glu H H H H
56
Rha H H H H
57
Rut
H H H H
58
Glc H H CH
3
H
59
Glu H H CH
3
H
O
O
R
2
O
OR
1
OR
3
60-65
R
1
R
2
R
3
60
H H CH
3
61
H H Glc
62
H Glc H
63
H Glu H
64
H Gen H
65
H Rut CH
3
O
O
R
1
O
OH
OR
3
OR
2
66-75
R
1
R
2
R
3
66
H H H
67
H H Glc
68
Gal H H
69
Glc H H
70
Rha
H H
71
Gen H H
72
Rut H H
73
Glc H Glc
74
Gen H Glc
75
Glc Glc H
O
O
R
1
O
OH
OR
3
OH
R
2
O
76-79
R
1
R
2
R
3
76
Glc H
H
77
Glc Ara H
78
Glc Xyl H
79
Glc 4-O-acetyl Xyl H
OR
2
O
R
1
80-83
R
1
R
2
80
H OH
81
OMe OH
82
OH OH
83
OH O-Glc

triterpenes such as taraxasterol 35, ψ- taraxasterol
38, β-amyrin 34, 3β- taraxerol 33, α- amyrin 39,
and lupeol 41 [58].
Two new ursene type triterpenes, nudicauline A
84, and nudicauline B 85 have been isolated from
the aerial parts of this species, along with olean-
11,13(18)-diene 86, 3β-hydroxy-13(28)-epoxy-
urs-11-ene 87 and 3-keto-13(28)-
epoxy-urs-11-
ene 88
[59]
.
Additionally, flavone glycosides
were reported from the 70% EtOH extract of fresh
Recently, ethyl acetate soluble fraction of
methanolic extract of Launaea nudicaulis was
subjected to chromatographic purification to get
four new compounds including a quinic acid
derivative Cholistaquinate 89, a pentahydroxy
acetylene analog: trideca-12-ene-4,6-diyne-2, 8, 9,
10, 11-pentaol 90, a flavone glycoside
O
O
HO
OR
OH
OH
O
HO
OH
HO
HO
O
OH
OH
OH
91
O
O
H
O
HO
O OH
O
92
76 Abdelkrim Cheriti et al.
sample of Launaea nudicaulis and identified as
apigenin-7-O-glucoside 62, luteolin-7-O-glucoside
69, luteolin-7-O-rutinoside 72, apigenin-7-O-
gentiobioside 64, luteolin-7-O-gentiobioside 71,
and three glycosides luteolin-7,3’-diglucoside 75,
luteolin-7’,4’-diglucoside 73 and
luteolin-7-O-
gentiobioside-4’-O-glucoside 74
[60], which are
common metabolites within the 2ed group of
Lactuceae tribe as indicated above. Moreover, two
common coumarins, esculetin 82, and cichoriin
83, were also described [61, 62].
Cholistaflaside 91 and a sesquiterpene lactone
nudicholoid 92. Cholistaquinate 89 exhibited
significant activity in DPPH free radical scavenging
assay with an IC50 value of 60.7 mM, whereas,
nudicholoid 92 exhibited a moderate inhibitory
activity against the enzyme butyrylcholinesterase
with an IC50 value of 88.3 mM [63].
RO
84 R= OH
85 R = Ac
HO
86
O
R
87 R= α H, β OH
88 R = O
HO
O
O
O
O
OH
OH
OH
OMe
O
HO
89
H
2
C
OH
OH
OH
OH
OH
90

phenolic components of the plant. In their studies
on Launaea genus from Spain including L.
arborescens, Giner et al. [66] isolated common
phenolic compounds namely, luteolin 66, luteolin-
7-O- glucoside 69, luteolin-7-O-rhamnoside 70,
esculetin 82 and its glycoside cichoriin 83, and
simple compounds, ethyl-caffeoate and ferulic
acid. The authors remarked that cichoriin 83 was
the most abundant compound in all studied
species.
We are the first initiators on the phytochemical
study of the Algerian sample of L. arborescens
collected from the Sahara [67]. From the
methanol extract of the aerial parts of this species,
we have described the isolation of four
compounds, two flavonoids, 3- acetyl-5-methoxy-
7,3’,4’-trihydroxyflavan-3-ol-8-O-glycoside 93,
5,7,4’-trihydroxy-3’- methoxyflavone ( chrysoeriol)
94, one lignan, 4,4’-dihydroxy-3,3’-dimethoxy-
7,9’:7,9’-diepoxylignan 95,
and a diterpene,
methyl-15,16-epoxy-12-oxo-8(17), 13(16), 14-
ent-labdatrien-19-oate 96.
L. arborescens [68]. The hydrodistillation of the
aeriel part of Launaea arborescens gave a green
yellowish oil in an yield of 0.07% from dried
material. Seventeen compounds were identified,
representing 84.96% of the total oil. The essential
oil of L. arborescens was a mixture of different
substances, including oxygen-containing
monoterpenes, alcohols, aldehydes, and esters.
Esters were the dominant group in the
oil (58.24%) with dioctyl phthalate (38.6%) and
Launaea residifolia (L.)
Chemical studie of the plant led to the isolation of
triterpenes α-amyrin 40, lupeol 42, lupeol acetate
44 and their epimer moretenol together with the
∆
7
-stigmasterol. From the aerials parts of Launaea
residifolia growin in Algeria, four coumarin
compounds, cichoriin 83, esculetin 82, scopoletin
81 and its isomere isoscopoletin, were isolated [64].
On the other hand, the chemical composition of
essential oils from this species (0.9%) has been
identified using the ordinary GC-MS technique.
Nineteen compounds of essential oil of L.
residifolia L. were identified representing 86.68%
of the total oil. The compounds were identified by
spectral comparison to be mainly esters, alcohols,
ketones, and terpenes. The principal constituents
are dioctyl phthalate (39.84%), Decanoic acid,
decyl ester (12.09%), 11-Octadecenal (11.24%),
and Eucalyptol (07.31%) [65].
Launaea arborescens
Chemical data on this species are scarce in
literature and few published papers describe
A diversity structure of triterpenes oleanane
(3β-hydroxy-11α-ethoxy-olean-12-ene) and
sesquiterpenes type guaianolides (9α- hydroxy-
11β,13-dihydro-3-epi-zaluzanin C, 9α-hydroxy-
4α,15-dihydro-zaluzanin C) and costinolide
(3β,14-dihydroxycostunolide-3-O-β-Gluc.,3β,
14-dihydroxycostunolide-3-O-β-Gluc.-14-O-p-
hydroxyphenylacetate) together with the lactucin-
sulfate
30 were chemically characterised
from both the aerial parts and roots of
Phytochemical and biological studies on the Saharan Launaea 77
OHO
OH
OH
OH
O
O
93
O
O
HO
OH
OH
OCH
3
94
HO
H
3
CO
O
O
OH
OCH
3
95
96
H
3
COOC
O
O

78 Abdelkrim Cheriti et al.
their biological significance. This review presents
information on the importance of the ethnobotany,
phytochemistry and biological activities of the
members of this genus, especially the species
growing in Algerian Sahara. The given
information can be the base for undertaking future
research. It is necessary to carry out more studies
and to propagate utilization of medicinal plants as
a way to diminish the costs of public health programs.
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activity, and it is a promising source of various
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compounds have been found to exhibit various
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the high biodiversity of metabolite products
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