Chemical composition and biological activity of secondary metabolites from Cuscuta campestris

The review summarizes the literature data on the chemical composition and types of biological activity of extracts of Cuscuta campestris Yunck (field dodder), which belongs to the Convolvulaceae family. C. campestris is an aboveground parasite. Its stems wrap around the host plants and are attached to them by gaustoria, which are formed in places of contact with the feeding plant and deeply embedded in its tissue. On the territory of the Russian Federation, there are more than 30 types of dodders. Extracts of C. campestris are used in traditional medicine in South Asia, but the plant is not used as an object of biologically active compounds in Russia. It is worth noting that in recent years, studies of the pharmacological properties of C. campestris have intensified, which made it possible to establish the presence of a wide range of biological activity in the plant. For instance, the cures of field dodder exert anti-inflammatory, tranquilizing, antitumor, antipyretic, antioxidant, cerebroprotective, antifungal, antiviral, analgesic, and hepatoprotective effects. In the case of isolation of the major components of C. campestris extracts, it seemed possible to assume the importance of certain substances in the realization of their pharmacological activity, which is discussed in this review. Sugars and sugar acids, sex pheromones, tannins, carotenoids, amino acids, fatty acids and their esters, polyphenols (including flavonoids), coumarins, triterpenoids, vitamins, furans, pyrans and lactones were identified among the secondary metabolites. Due to the fact that the plant in question is widely represented on the territory of the Russian Federation and it is affordable, C. campestris is a promising object of research for the creation of new effective medicines based on it.