荨麻属药用植物研究进展

我国荨麻属Urtica L.药用植物有13种、3亚种,具有祛风除湿、活血止痛等功效,用于治疗风湿性关节炎、前列腺增生、皮肤病以及消化系统、呼吸系统、儿科、妇科等疾病。目前,从该属植物中共分离得到200多个化合物,包括黄酮类、生物碱类、木脂素类、香豆素类、萜类、甾体类、有机酸类、挥发油类等,其提取物具有抗炎、镇痛、抗前列腺增生、抗菌、抗氧化、降血糖、调血脂等广泛的药理活性,但其药效物质基础及作用机制还有待进一步研究阐明。近年来,荨麻属植物的药用价值受到了国内外学者的广泛关注,欧洲已从该属植物研制开发出多种治疗风湿性关节炎与良性前列腺增生的药物上市。因此,有必要对我国荨麻属植物进行进一步的研究与开发利用,尤其对资源极为丰富、目前尚未见报道的特色藏药材西藏荨麻U.tibetica和高原荨麻U.hyperborean也应进行深入系统研究。对我国荨麻属植物的药用概况、化学成分及药理活性等研究进行综述,为我国该属植物资源的开发利用提供参考。

Research progress on medicinal plant of Urtica L.

Medicinal plants of Urtica L. have 13 species, three subspecies in China, with wind-damp-dispelling and blood-activating analgesic effects, and used for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), skin diseases, digestive system, respiratory system, pediatric, and gynecological diseases. At present, more than 200 compounds were isolated from this genus, including flavonoids, alkaloids, lignans, coumarins, terpenes, steroids, organic acids, and volatile oils. Its extracts have pharmacological actions of anti-inflammatory, analgesic, anti-benign prostatic hyperplasia, antibacterial, anti-oxidant, hypoglycemic, hypolipidemic, and so on. However, it is still lack of the therapeutic material basis and mechanism research. In recent years, the medicinal value of this genus has been widely concerned by scholars at domestic and foreign, European has developed various drugs for the treatment of RA and BPH from this genus appeared on the market. Therefore, it is necessary to study and develop Urtica L. medicinal plants of our country, especially for the unreported characteristic Tibetan medicinal materials of U. tibetica and U. hyperborean with abundant resources, which should be in-depth systematic study. In this paper, the medicinal situation, chemical composition, and pharmacological action of the medicinal plants of Urtica L. were reviewed and analyzed by referring to the relevant herbal works and domestic and foreign research literatures, which can provide the scientific basis for further research and clinical application of this genus.