Esenbeckia (Pilocarpinae, Rutaceae): chemical constituents and biological activities

The Rutaceae Juss. is a plant family known as a producer of bioactive compounds, comprising several species used for disease treatment in folk medicine. Among Rutaceae genera, Esenbeckia Kunth includes 28 species distributed from Mexico through Argentina and in the West Indies. Some species such as E. alata (Triana) Triana & Planch., E. febrifuga (A.St.-Hil.) A.Juss. ex Mart. and E. yaaxhokob Lundell are used as medicines to treat fever and gastrointestinal disorders. To date, almost 50 studies provided phytochemical data and biological activities from 19 species of Esenbeckia. A comprehensive review of the current state of knowledge of the genus is discussed in this article. A total of 180 compounds distributed into alkaloids, phenolic derivatives (mostly coumarins and flavonoids), steroids and terpenoids were summarized. Moreover, this survey provides data about cytotoxic, antiplasmodial, leishmanicidal, larvicidal, antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory activities found in compounds, fractions and extracts of Esenbeckia, highlighting its potential as a producer of bioactive metabolites. In addition, the use of compounds as chemophenetic characters is evaluated into the genus.