Withanolides, the hidden gem in Physalis minima: A mini review on their anti-inflammatory, anti-neuroinflammatory and anti-cancer effects

The Southeast Asian rainforests, notably in East Malaysia, are home to a diverse range of medicinal plant species with limitless therapeutic potential. Physalis minima (family Solanaceae) is a native East Malaysia plant which is closely linked to P. angulata, are recognized for their various pharmacology properties are abundance in Withanolides, a C28-steroidal lactones based on an ergostane skeleton. This review focuses on the bioactive compounds of this herb, as it is frequently used to treat inflammation, neurodegenerative disease and cancer among East Malaysian ethnic groups. In this review, a total of 103 Withanolides were reported, with 59 of them being newly characterized. Previous scientific data revealed that Withanolides were intriguing principal compounds for inflammatory, neuroinflammatory and cancer treatment due to unique steroidal structure and strong bioactivities. Despite their excellent pharmacological characteristics, only a few Withanolides have been extensively studied, and the majority of them, particularly the newly discovered Withanolides, remained unknown for their therapeutic properties. This indicates that P. minima compounds are worth to be investigate for its pharmacological effects.