Pavonia Cav. SPECIES (MALVACEAE SENSU LATO) AS SOURCE OF NEW DRUGS: A REVIEW

Pavonia Cav., is a genus in the Malvaceae sensu lato family, containing 271 species with worldwide distribution, although with a higher diversity in America and Asia. Species from this genus are traditionally used in folk medicine with several biological activities, arousing scientific interest on the search for the substances responsible for such activities. This review aimed to provide and expand the scientific interest through phytochemical and pharmacological studies and the utilization of those plants in folk medicine. Species P. odorata and P. zeylanica are described in literature, specially at India, following the traditional medicine system Ayuverda, while the other species are studied mostly at Africa and America. There have been around 169 compounds isolated and characterized for such genus, most of them from the metabolic classes fat acids, terpenoids, flavonoids and phenolic compounds. Those species have shown in vivo, in vitro and in silico significant pharmacological activities, which include anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antimicrobial, cytotoxic, antitumoral, antidiabetic and antioxidant properties. Based on those informations, the search for new sources of plant based biologic prototypes with potential for the treatment of several diseases is of major scientific, economical and medicinal interest.