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MALLOTUS PHILIPPENSIS: A MIRACLE STICK
I. P. Tripathi*, Poonam Chaudhary and Poonam Pandey
Faculty of Science and Environment Mahatma Gandhi Chitrakoot Gramoday Viswavidhalay
Chitrakoot, Satna, MP.
ABSTRACT
Mallotus philippensis is one of the endangered medicinally important
plants used in indigenous system of medicine for cultivation prospects.
It is an important medicinal shrub of Ayurvedic system; whole parts of
the plants are rich in secondary metabolites. Various parts of the plant
are used in the treatment of skin problem, bronchitis, abdominal
disease, jaundice, malaria, antifungal, tape-worm, eye-disease, cancer,
diabetes, diarrhea, urinogenital infection etc. It also possesses various
pharmacological activities like anti-oxidant, Antimicrobial Activity,
Antifilarial Activity, Anti-LeukaemicActivity, Antitumor Activity,
anti-HIV Activity, Anti-tuberculosis Activity Hepatoprotective
Activity. This review underlines the miracle activities of the Mallotus
philippensis.
INTRODUCTION
India has a rich bio diversity of medicinal and Aromatic plants and holds a unique place in
the world in the traditional system of medicine.[1] Indigenous medicinal plants are great
importance to the health of individuals and to communities. The medicinal activity of the
plants may be due to the presence of bio-active chemical constituents such as flavanoids,
tannins, terpenoids, alkaloids and glycosides.[2]
In Ayurveda different types of medicinal preparations are used to external and internal
ailments by utilizing special parts of medicinal plants such as the leaves, seed, stem bark,
flowers, roots etc.[3]
The genus Mallotus comprises of about 150 species in the world and about 20 species alone
have been reported in india.[4] Mallotus philippensis locally known as kamala is a large
World Journal of Pharmaceutical Research
SJIF Impact Factor 7.523
Volume 6, Issue 7, 678-687. Review Article ISSN 2277– 7105
*Corresponding Author
I. P. Tripathi
Faculty of Science and
Environment Mahatma
Gandhi Chitrakoot
Gramoday Viswavidhalay
Chitrakoot, Satna, MP.
Article Received on
05 May 2017,
Revised on 25 May 2017,
Accepted on 15 June 2017
DOI: 10.20959/wjpr20177-8816
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Tripathi et al. World Journal of Pharmaceutical Research
woody multipurpose medicinal tree belongs to family Euphorbiaceae consisting of herbs,
shrubs and trees. The bark of Mallotus philippensis has been used for typhoid and
meningitis.[5] The gland and the hairs of the fruits are used in the treatment of intestinal
worms and also as a purgative. Its oil is used in dermal problems and non healing wounds.[6]
The leaves are used externally for different types of skin infections and infected wounds.[7]
The glands/hairs of the fruit mixed with coconut oil is used to dress wounds and burns and
the oil of Mallotus philippensis cleanses chronic infected wounds. In dermatiles especially of
oozing type, Mallotus philippensis is considered to be a valuable remedy.[8]
(1) (2)
Fig 1: Overview of Mallotus philippensis
tree
Fig 2: Mature fruits of Mallotus
philippensis
Scientific Classification
Kingdom:
Plantae
Division:
Magnoliophyta
Class:
Magnoliopsida
Order:
Euphorbiales
Family
Euphorbiaceous
Genus
Mallotus
Species
philippinensis
Vernacular Names
Hindi:
Kamala, Sindur, Rohini and Kambhal
English:
Monkey-face tree
Tamil:
Kapli, Kungumam, Kurangumanjanatti
Telgue:
Kapli, Kunkuma, Sinduri,Chendiramu
Assam:
Gangai, Puddum, and Lochan
Sanskrit:
Kapila, Kampillaka
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Tripathi et al. World Journal of Pharmaceutical Research
Ecology
Mallotus philippensis has a widespread natural distribution, from the western Himalayas,
through India, Sri Lanka, to southern China and throughout Malesia to Australia. Sometimes
it is gregarious but more usually mixed with other species, both in forests and open
scrubland. Kamala tree is common in evergreen forest, especially in secondary forest, and
sometimes even dominant in the undergrowth. Kamala tree withstands considerable shade; it
is frost-hardy and resistant to drought.[9]
Biophysical limits
Temperature- 16-28 0C
Annual rainfall – 800-2000 mm
Soil- It grows mostly in every soil types, including in fertile soi, limestone and rocky
lands.[10]
Morphology
Trees
Trees are small to medium sized monoecious in nature, upto 25m tall and with a bole up to 50
cm in diameter, but usually much less in number. Slash turning deep red, branchlets are
reddish brown glandular.
Leaves
Leaves are alternate and simple, more or less leathery, ovate to lanceolate, cuneate to rounded
with two glands at base. Leaves are mostly acute or acuminate at apex, conspicuously 3-
nerved, hairy and reddish glandular beneath, petiole size 1-4 cm long, puberulous and
reddish-brown in color.
Flowers
Flowers are small unisexual. Male flower in terminal and axillary position, 2-10cm long,
solitary or fascided paniculates spikes, each flower are with numerous stamens small; each
flower with stellate hairy, 3 called ovary with 3-papillose stigmas.
Fruit
fruit is a depressed-globose; 3-lobed capsule; 5,7mm and 10mm; stelate; puberulous; with
aboundant orange or reddish glandular granules; 3-seeded.
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Seed
Seeds are subglobose and black in color and 4 mm across.[11]
Biology
In this genus, Mallotus philippensis flowers mature from March to April and fruits mature in
July-August. Mallotus philippensis has extra floral nectarines attracting ants.[12]
Traditional Uses
According to Ayurveda, leaves are bitter, cooling and appetizer. All parts of plant like glands
and hairs from the capsules or fruits are used as heating, purgative, anthelmintic, vulnerary,
detergent, maturant, carminative and alexiteric. It is also useful in treatment of bronchitis,
abdominal disease, and spleen enlargement and if taken with milk or curd (yoghurt). It can be
quite useful for expelling tapeworms. Kamala is also used as an oral contraceptive. The
powder and a few other parts of kamala are also used in external applications to promote the
healing of ulcers and wounds. They are used to treat parasitic affections of the skin like
scabies, ringworm and herpes.[13]
Phytochemical constituents
Fruits
Fruits contain Rottlerin (reddish yellow resin) 47.80% fixed oil 5.83-24% mallotoxin,
kamalin, Oleic lauric, myristic, palmitic acid, stearic acid, crotoxigenin, rhammoside, octa
casanol, iso rottlerin, rottlerin, homorottlerin tannins, citric acid and oxalic acid.[14,15]
Stem bark
The chemical constituents like betulin, friedelin, kamaladiol-3-acetate, lipeol, tannic acid, 3-
hydroxy-D-A-friedoolean-3-en-2-one, 2β-hydroxy-D-A-friedooleanan-3-one and 3α-
hydroxy-D-A-friedooleanan-2-one, were reported from the stem bark.[16,17,18,19]
Seed
The seed contains a Fixed oil, camul oil and a bitter glucosidal, Betulin-3 acetate lupeol
acetate, berginin acetylaleuritote acid, sitosterol, bergenin, rottlerin resin, solid hydroxy acid,
kamlonenic acid, linoleic, Oleic, lauric, myristic, palmitic acid, stearic acid, crotoxigenin,
rhamnoside, coroghcignin, octa cosanol, iso rottlerin, rottlerin, homorottlerin, tannins, citric
and oxalic acidp.[20]
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Common Adulterants
Glandular hair powder of Mallotus philippensis is commonly adulterated with Annato dye
(Bixa orellana Linn.), ferric oxide, brick dust and ferruginous sand. Casearia tomentosa (stem
bark powder), Carthamus tinctorius (flower powder), Ficus benghalensis (fruit powder) and
Flmingia macrophylla (hairs of fruits) are also reported to be used as adulterant or substitute
of kampillaka.[21]
Pharmacological Activities
Antioxidant activity and Antiradical Activity
Several extracts from Mallotus philippensis fruits and bark were prepared and evaluated for
their total antioxidant activity (TAA), antiradical activity against DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-
picrylhydrazyl radical) and reducing power. The total phenolics and tannin contents in
extracts were determined. The extract of the bark showed the strongest antiradical activity
and reduction power; its TAA was 5.27 mmol Trolox equivalents/g. The TAA of other
extracts ranged from 0.05 to 1.79 mmol Trolox equivalents/g extract. The content of total
phenolics in the bark extract was 541mg/g.[22,23]
Antimicrobial Activity
The antimicrobial activity of hexane, chloroform and ethanol leaf extract showed significant
activity against the human pathogens such as Streptococcus pneumoniae causing brain
abscesses, pneumonia and septic arthritis, Proteus vulgaris, Pseudomonas aeruginosa
causing urinary tract infections and septicaemia, Salmonella typhi causing typhoid fever,
Vibrio species causing diarrheal infections and the fungus Candida albicans. The
antimicrobial activity of the hexane, chloroform and ethanolic stem extract showed
concentration‐dependent activity against all the tested bacteria with the zone of inhibition
ranged from 12‐26mm at various concentrations. But only the ethanol extract showed
antimicrobial activity against the fungi A. flavus and C. albicans with the zone of inhibition
ranged from 16‐22mm at various concentrations.[24]
Antifilarial Activity
The effect of aqueous and alcoholic leave extracts of Mallotus philippensis (Lam.) was
studied on the spontaneous movements of the whole worm and nerve-muscle (n.m.)
preparation of Setaria cervi and on the survival of microfilariae in vitro. Both the extracts
result in inhibition of spontaneous motility of whole worm and them n.m. preparation of S.
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cervi characterized by initial stimulation followed by depression in amplitude. The tone and
rate of contractions remained visibly unaffected. Aqueous extract at higher concentration
showed immediate reduction in tone. The concentration required to inhibit the movements of
n.m. preparation was 1/5th for aqueous and 1/11th for alcoholic extract compared to that for
the whole worm, suggesting a cuticular permeability barrier. The stimulatory response of
acetylcholine was blocked by aqueous extract on whole worm movements. On the
microfilariae the LC50 and LC90 were 18 and 20 ng/mL for aqueous and 12 and 15 ng/mL
for alcoholic extracts, respectively.[25]
Anti-LeukaemicActivity
The root extract of Mallotus philippensis was tested on human promyelocytic leukemia HL-
60 cell proliferation, cell cycle regulators, and apoptosis in order to investigate its
antileukemic effect. Hexane fraction showed promising toxicity against p53-deficient HL-60
cells (IC50 1.5mg dry roots equivalent/mL medium) after 72h and, interestingly, inhibition of
cell proliferation was preceded by the upregulation of the protooncogenes Cdc25A and cyclin
D1 within 24 hours suggesting its antileukemic effect in HL-60 cells. After isolation and
identification by GC-MS, polyphenols were the main compounds of the hexane extract that
inhibited proliferation and induced apoptosis.[26]
Anti-HIV Activity
Four phloroglucinol derivatives, named mallotophenone (5-methylene-bis-2,6-dihydroxy3-
methyl-4-methoxyacetophenone), mallotochromene (8acetyl-5,7-dihydroxy-6-(3-acetyl-2,4-
dihydroxy-5-methyl-6methoxybenzyl)-2,2-dimethylchromene), mallotojaponin (3-
(3,3(dimethylallyl) S-(3(acetyl-2,4-dihydroxy-5-methyl6-methoxybenzyl)-
phloracetophenone) and mallotolerin (3(3-methyl-2-hydroxybut-3-enyl)-5-(3-acetyl-2,4-
dihydroxy5-methyl-6-methoxybenzyl)- phloraceto-phenone) were tested for their ability to
inhibit the activity of human immunodeficiency virus- (HIV-) reverse transcriptase. The
mode of inhibition of mallotojaponin was found to be competitive with respect to the
template primer, (rA)n (dT)12–18, and noncompetitive with respect to the triphosphate
substrate, dTTP. The Ki value of mallotojaponin for HIV-reverse transcriptase was
determined to be 6.1𝜇M.[27]
Antitumor Activity
Four known friedelane-type triterpenoids, friedelin, 3-hydroxy-D:A-friedoolean-3-en-2one,
2𝛽-hydroxy-D:A-friedooleanan-3-one, and 3𝛼-hydroxy-D:A-friedooleanan-2-one, and two
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known lupanetype triterpenoids, lupeol and betulin, were isolated from the stem bark of
Mallotus philippensis and were tested for their inhibitory effects on Epstein-Barr virus early
antigen (EBV-EA)activationinducedby12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate (TPA). The
inhibitory effect of compounds 2 (IC50 = 292mol ratio/32pmol/TPA) and 4 (IC50 = 288) was
stronger than those of the other compounds tested and the positive control, curcumin (IC50 =
343). Compound 3𝛼hydroxy-D:A-friedooleanan-2-one strongly inhibited mouse skin tumor
promotion in an in vivo two-stage carcinogenesis model.[28]
Anti-tuberculosis Activity
Organic extract of Mallotus plant which yields five compounds after bioassay directed
fractionation. The most active compound against Mycobacterium tuberculosis was 8-
cinnamoyl5, 7-dihydroxy-2, 2-dimethyl- 6-geranylchromene for which the name
mallotophilippen-F is suggested. The second compound 8-cinnamoyl-2,2- dimethyl-7-
hydroxy-5-methoxychromene was isolated from a natural source for the first time, while the
remaining three compounds, rottlerin, isoallorottlerin, or isorottlerin and the so-called red
compound, 8-cinnamoyl-5,7-dihydroxy-2, 2, 6-trimethylchromene, had been already isolated
from this plant. Isolated compounds were identified by 2D-NMR and C-13 NMR.[29]
Anti-Inflammatory and Immunoregulatory Activity
Chalcones derivatives from the fruits of Mallotus philippensis and mallotophilippens C, D,
and E inhibit nitric oxide (NO) production and inducible NO synthase (iNOS) gene
expression by a murine macrophage-like cell line(RAW264.7) which was activated by
lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and recombinant mouse interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma). Further
investigations suggest the downregulation of cyclooxygenase-2 gene, interleukin-6 gene, and
interleukin-1b gene expression. The above results show that these chalcones have good anti-
inflammatory and immune-regulatory effects.[30]
Hepatoprotective Activity
Methanolic extract of Mallotus philippensis leaves decreases the CCl4-induce delevation in
biochemical parameters (SGOT, SGPT, SALP, direct bilirubin, total bilirubin and MDA) on
pretreatment at doses100–200mg/kg and also reversed the functional and antioxidant
parameters. This study suggests that leave extract was effective in functional improvement of
hepatocytes. Histopathological studies also suggest the hepatoprotective activity of plant.[31]
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CONCLUSION
In conclusion, this review confirms the great potential of Mallotus philippensis. This plant
has an immense medicinal and economic use in different system of medicine in India as well
as throughout the world. Along with this medicinal importance, this plant is used against
human pathogens including anti-inflammatory activity, antioxidant, antiradical, protein
inhibition, hepatoprotactive, anti-HIV activity and many more. This review underlines the
interest to continue the study of this genus of the Euphorbiaceae family.
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