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Review
. 2022 Dec 30;8(2):1838-1850.
doi: 10.1021/acsomega.2c06340. eCollection 2023 Jan 17.

A Multifaceted Review of Eurycoma longifolia Nutraceutical Bioactives: Production, Extraction, and Analysis in Drugs and Biofluids

Mohamed A Farag  1 , Abiodun O Ajayi  2 , Mohammed Taleb  3 , Kai Wang  4 , Iriny M Ayoub  5
Affiliations
Review

A Multifaceted Review of Eurycoma longifolia Nutraceutical Bioactives: Production, Extraction, and Analysis in Drugs and Biofluids

Mohamed A Farag et al. ACS Omega. .

Abstract

Eurycoma longifolia Jack (known as Tongkat Ali) is a popular traditional herbal medicine, native to southeast Asia, that is well-known for its aphrodisiac as well as several other effects. Mostly, the root extract of E. longifolia is used as a folk medicine for sexual dysfunction, aging, anxiety, exercise recovery, fever, increased energy, and osteoporosis. These health effects led to the inclusion of E. longifolia in dietary supplements, particularly for bodybuilding purposes. These effects are mediated by a myriad of bioactive compounds belonging to quassinoids, canthin-6-one alkaloids, tirucallane triterpenes, squalene derivatives, and bioactive steroids. Among these phytoconstituents, quassinoids account for a large portion of E. longifolia root phytochemicals. Of these ingredients, eurycomanone, the major quassinoid in E. longifolia extract, accounts to a large extent for its health effects. This review capitalizes on the novel trends toward the production of E. longifolia bioactives using biotechnology and extraction optimization for best yields and recovery. Alongside, novel extraction methods, i.e., green techniques, of E. longifolia bioactives are described. Further, an overview of the different analytical approaches for the quality control assessment of E. longifolia plant material and nutraceuticals is presented alongside studies in body fluids to determine its pharmacokinetics and efficacy level. Such a compilation of analytical methods will help ensure safety and efficacy of that major drug.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing financial interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Representative major phytochemicals from E. longifolia Jack.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Schematic representation summarizes the biotechnological techniques employed in the production of phenolics and flavonoids from adventitious roots and cell suspension culture of E. longifolia in a balloon type bubble bioreactor using indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) and naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) as growth regulators and Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Schematic representation summarizing the biotechnological techniques in production of 9-methoxycanthin-6-one in hairy root culture of E. longifolia after root transformation with Agrobacterium rhizogenes strain A4. Jasmonic acid (JA), methyl jasmonate (MJ), salicyclic acid (SA), and yeast (Y) served as elicitors, and different basal media were used including Murashige and Skoog (MS), Shenck and Hildebrandt (SH), and McCown’s woody plant (WP).
Figure 4
Figure 4
Schematic representation showing biotechnological techniques in the production of eurycomanone in cell suspension culture of Tongkat Ali using methyl jasmonate (MeJa), salicylic acid (SA), and yeast (Y) as elicitors, Murashige and Skoog (MS) as a medium, and Kinetin (KIN) and naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) as growth regulators.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Extraction techniques of E. longifolia bioactives.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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