Ulmus Species: Their Extraction, Structural Diversity, and Pharmacological Properties

Abstract: Ulmus, a genus in the family Ulmaceae, includes medicinal plants traditionally used to treat pain and bone-related disorders. The present study aimed to provide a comprehensive overview of the structural diversity of Ulmus phytochemicals, their natural sources, and the chromatographic separation methods used. The pharmacological activities of constituents found in Ulmus were also discussed in detail. Approximately 100 English references, spanning from the 1960s to the present, were identified from electronic resources, primarily using Google Scholar, Web of Science, and ScienceDirect. SciFinder was used to confirm references and chemical structures. “Ulmus”, “phytochemistry”, and “pharmacology” were included as the main keywords to search for articles. A total of 196 natural metabolites were isolated and/or detected. The main classes were the derivatives of flavonoids, monophenols, lignans, neolignans, coumarins, terpenoids, and sterols. Ulmus plants were also found to be rich in polysaccharides and glycoproteins. Crude extracts and isolated compounds possess a variety of pharmacological values, such as anticancer, antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antiallergic, antihypertensive, anti-obesity, and topoisomerase inhibitory activities. Ulmus constituents are outstanding agents that offer significant health benefits, including immunomodulatory action and protection of the vascular system, neurons, liver, skin, eyes, excretory system, and hair. Effective separation of the major compounds at elevated concentrations is critically required. Moreover, there is a need to conduct in vivo and clinical trials.