Marsdenia tenacissima: A Review of Traditional Uses, Phytochemistry and Pharmacology

The stems and roots of Marsdenia tenacissima (Roxb.) Wight et Arn., a traditional Chinese medicine and Dai herbal medicine, have been widely used for the treatment of asthma, trachitis, tonsillitis, pharyngitis, cystitis, pneumonia and drug or food poisoning. Nowadays, the extract of Marsdenia tenacissima, under the trademark of "Xiao-ai-ping", is widely used in clinic for the treatment of different cancers in China. To date, approximately 196 chemical ingredients covering steroids, triterpenes and organic acids have been identified from different parts of this plant. Steroids are the major characteristic and bioactive constituents of this plant. Modern pharmacology has demonstrated that the crude extracts and steroids have various in vitro and in vivo pharmacological activities, such as multidrug resistance reversal, antitumor, anti-angiogenic, immunomodulation and anti-HIV activities. The multidrug resistance reversal of steroids provided evidence for the use of this herb in clinic. However, despite wide clinical application, clinical trials, quality control method, pharmacokinetic and toxicity research on Marsdenia tenacissima were seldom reported and deserved further efforts. The present review aimed to achieve a comprehensive and up-to-date investigation in ethnopharmacology, phytochemistry, pharmacology, clinical study, pharmacokinetics, toxicology and quality control of Marsdenia tenacissima. In addition, the possible perspectives and trends for future studies of Marsdenia tenacissima have also been put forward. It is believed that this review would provide a theoretical basis and valuable data for future in-depth studies and applications.