Chemical and biological studies on Licania genus

This paper reports the phytochemical and biological studies carried out on several species of the Licania genus (Chrysobalanaceae). This genus includes many species mainly distributed in neotropical South American countries such as Venezuela, Brasil, and Mexico, most of them not yet investigated from the chemical and biological point of view. The name Licania derives from the anagram of the indigenous Venezuelan name "Calignia". Phytochemical studies of these species led to the isolation and structural characterization, by NMR and MS analysis, of many secondary metabolites, mainly flavonoids, and expecially flavonol glycosides, clerodane diterpenes, and triterpenes having the lupane, ursane, and oleanane skeletons. Particularly flavonoids and their glycosides have a chemotaxonomic interest in the genus and in general in the Chrysobalanaceae family. Furthermore, several biological studies were performed on some crude extracts of these plants. They were found to be cytotoxic to cultured human hepatoma (HepG2), colon carcinoma (Caco-2), melanoma B16, and CA-9KB cells. In addition a molluscicidal activity against Biomphalaria glabrata was also demonstrated. Pure triterpenes showed antibacterial activity on Gram positive and yeast and a moderate cytotoxic action against KB assay, while diterpenes snowed antifungal properties. Flavonoids were also tested for their antioxidative action as radical scavengers.