The Malaysian genus Calophyllum (Calophyllaceae): a review on its phytochemistry and pharmacological activities

Abstract

Genus Calophyllum from the family of Calophyllaceae is an evergreen broad-leaved tree that is endemic to Southeast Asia, especially Malaysia. They have been reported for various ethnomedicinal uses in traditional medicine. Previous studies of Malaysian Calophyllum species revealed them to be a rich source of bioactive phytoconstituents such as xanthones, coumarins, terpenoids, and chromanone acids. To date, the extracts and compounds from Malaysian Calophyllum species have shown a broad spectrum of pharmacological activities. For example, calanolide A, a coumarin isolated from Malaysian C. lanigerum, has now reached clinical development to become an anti-HIV drug. This article presents an overview of the significant phytochemical and pharmacological activities of Malaysian Calophyllum species to aid researchers in further discovery of potential benefits of various species of this genus.

Graphical Abstract

Keywords:

• Calophyllum
• phytochemical
• bioactivity
• ethnomedicinal

Acknowledgements

AADZ and TK thanks the Director of Centre for Drug Research, Prof Dr. B.Vicknasingam and Universiti Sains Malaysia for providing the facilities for the present review study. AADZ is a recipient of GRA-Assist (2020) for master programme during the course of present study.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.