Generic placeholder image

The Natural Products Journal

Editor-in-Chief

ISSN (Print): 2210-3155
ISSN (Online): 2210-3163

Review Article

Trapa natans L.: A Journey from Traditional to Contemporary Therapies - A Review

Author(s): Zartaj Washmin Banu, Debaprotim Dasgupta, Iswar Hazarika, Damiki Laloo and Jun Moni Kalita*

Volume 13, Issue 8, 2023

Published on: 03 May, 2023

Article ID: e300323215263 Pages: 13

DOI: 10.2174/2210315513666230330182909

Price: $65

Abstract

Trapa natans (Family: Trapacea) is an edible and ornate plant in warm, temperate regions of Asia and Europe. Extracts of different parts, as well as the whole herb itself, have traditionally been used to treat many ailments. Current review aims at documenting, finding research gaps, and critically appraising the contemporary information on T. natans based on botanical account, traditional use, reported bioactive constituents, toxicity, and therapeutic activities. We used several electronic databases, including scientific data from Pubmed, and Google scholar up to April 3, 2022, incorporating keywords- “Trapa natans” and “Traditional use of Trapa natans”. The result suggested: (a) The plant is used traditionally for treating burning sensation, dipsia, dyspepsia, haemorrhage, diarrhoea, dysentery, leprosy, weariness, inflammation, fractures, pharyngitis, urethrorrhea, bronchitis, and general debility. (b) The phytoconstituents found in the plant include cycloucalenol, ursolic acid, ellagic acid, chlorogenic acid, gallic acid, syringic acid, quercetin and 2β, 3α, 23-trihydroxy urs-12-en-28-oic acid. The other phytoconstituents were protein, carbohydrates, starch, flavonoids, and essential vitamins like riboflavin, thiamine, pyridoxine, pantothenic acid, nicotinic acid, vitamin A, vitamin C and D-amylase. (c) The plant was studied further for its pharmacological activity in antidiabetic properties, antimicrobial potency, anti-inflammatory activity, analgesic activity, immunomodulatory effect, antiulcer activity, anticancer property and nootropic activity. (d) Starch obtained from T. natans was also found to have good freeze-thaw properties, metal chelation properties and youghurt stability which could be used for pharmaceutical preparations. (e) The acute oral toxicity of hydroalcoholic, ethanolic and methanolic extracts of T. natans was reported to be safe up to a dose of 2000 mg/Kg. The present review suggests that T. natans needs to be explored for evaluation of mechanistic study of the reported activities, preclinical investigations, and evaluation of clinical studies on humans for its pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamic actions as well as the development of dose-dependent formulations and routes of administration.

Keywords: Trapa natans, Trapa bispinosa, shrungataka, herbal medicine, traditional use, phytopharmacology.

Graphical Abstract
[1]
Hardy, K. Plant use in the lower and middle palaeolithic: Food, medicine and raw materials. Quat. Sci. Rev., 2018, 191, 393-405.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2018.04.028]
[2]
Petrovska, B. Historical review of medicinal plants’ usage. Pharmacogn. Rev., 2012, 6(11), 1-5.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.4103/0973-7847.95849] [PMID: 22654398]
[3]
Hazarika, I.; Mukundan, G.K.; Sundari, P.S.; Laloo, D. Hydrocotyle sibthorpioides Lam.: From traditional utilization to modern therapeutics-A review. Phytother. Res., 2021, 35(4), 1847-1871.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ptr.6924] [PMID: 33140507]
[4]
Chandana, M.; Rupa, M.; Chakraborthy, G.S. A review on potential of plants under Trapa species. Int. J. Res. Pharm. Chem., 2013, 3(2), 502-508.
[5]
Shalabh, B.; Akash, J.; Jasmine, C. Trapa natans (Water Chestnut): An overview. Int. Res. J. Pharm., 2012, 3(6), 31-33.
[6]
Saber, M.M.; Mirtajani, S.B.; Karimzadeh, K. Green synthesis of silver nanoparticles using Trapa natans extract and their anticancer activity against A431 human skin cancer cells. J. Drug Deliv. Sci. Technol., 2018, 47, 375-379.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jddst.2018.08.004]
[7]
Mabberley, D.J. Mabberley’s plant-book: A portable dictionary of plants, their classifications and uses, 3rd ed; Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, 2008.
[8]
Hummel, M.; Kiviat, E. Review of world literature on water chestnut with implications for management in North America. J. Aquat. Plant Manage., 2004, 42, 17-28.
[9]
Vandana, B.; Kavya, B.; Shantha, T.R.; Reddy, M.P.; Kavya, N.; Rao, V.R.; Ishnawa, B.K.; Venkateshwarlu, G. Pharmacognostical evaluation and phytochemical studies on Ayurvedic nutritional fruits of Trapa natans L. Int. J. Herb. Med., 2015, 3(5), 13-19.
[10]
Adkar, P.; Dongare, A.; Ambavade, S.; Bhaskar, V.H. Trapa bispinosa Roxb.: A review on nutritional and pharmacological aspects. Adv. Pharmacol. Sci., 2014, 2014, 1-13.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2014/959830] [PMID: 24669216]
[11]
Singh, G.D.; Singh, S.; Jindal, N.; Bawa, A.S.; Saxena, D.C. Physico-chemical characteristics and sensory quality of Singhara (Trapa natans L.): An Indian water chestnut under commercial and industrial storage conditions. Afr. J. Food Sci., 2010, 4(11), 693-702.
[12]
Kumar, D.; Rashid, M.; Singh, A.P. Evaluation of in vitro anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and antioxidant effects of Trapa natans (LINN.) leaves extract. World J. Pharm. Pharm. Sci., 2014, 3, 1697-1710.
[13]
Das, P.K.; Bhattacharya, S.; Pandey, J.N.; Biswas, M. Antidiabetic activity of Trapa natans fruit peel extract against streptozotocin induced diabetic rats. Glob. J. Pharmacol., 2010, 5(3), 186-190.
[14]
Razvy, M.A.; Faruk, M.O.; Hoque, M.A. Environment friendly antibacterial activity of water chestnut fruits. J. Biodivers. Environ. Sci., 2011, 1(1), 26-34.
[15]
Patel, A.S.; Patel, N.C.; Shah, M.H.; Shah, V.N. Evaluation of anti-inflammatory activity of fruits of Trapa natans Linn. Int.J. Pharm.Rres. Dev, 2011, 3(6), 97-102.
[16]
Kar, D.M.; Snigdha, P.; Maharana, L.; Dash, G.K. Hepatoprotective activity of water chestnut fruit. Indian J. Nat. Prod. Resour., 2004, 20(3), 17-20.
[17]
Makare, N.; Bodhankar, S.; Rangari, V. Immunomodulatory activity of alcoholic extract of Mangifera indica L. in mice. J. Ethnopharmacol., 2001, 78(2-3), 133-137.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0378-8741(01)00326-9] [PMID: 11694357]
[18]
Kar, D.; Maharana, L.; Si, S.C.; Kar, M.K.; Sasmal, D. Antiulcer activity of ethanolic extract of fruit of Trapa bispinosa Roxb. in animals. Der. Pharm. Lett, 2010, 2(2), 190-197.
[19]
Sorice, A.; Siano, F.; Capone, F.; Guerriero, E.; Picariello, G.; Budillon, A.; Ciliberto, G.; Paolucci, M.; Costantini, S.; Volpe, M. Potential anticancer effects of polyphenols from chestnut shell extracts: Modulation of cell growth, and cytokinomic and metabolomic profiles. Molecules, 2016, 21(10), 1411.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/molecules21101411] [PMID: 27775667]
[20]
Ambikar, D.B.; Harle, U.N.; Khandare, R.A.; Bore, V.V.; Vyawahare, N.S. Neuroprotective effect of hydroalcoholic extract of dried fruits of Trapa bispinosa Roxb on lipofuscinogenesis and fluorescence product in brain of D-galactose induced ageing accelerated mice. Indian J. Exp. Biol., 2010, 48(4), 378-382.
[PMID: 20726336]
[21]
Faruk, M.O.; Amin, M.Z.; Sana, N.K.; Shaha, R.K.; Biswas, K.K. Biochemical analysis of two varieties of water chestnuts (Trapa sp.). Pak. J. Biol. Sci., 2012, 15(21), 1019-1026.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.3923/pjbs.2012.1019.1026] [PMID: 24163944]
[22]
Parekh, J.; Chanda, S. In vitro antimicrobial activity of Trapa natans L. fruit rind extracted in different solvents. Afr. J. Biotechnol., 2007, 6(6), 766-770.
[23]
Radojevic, I.D.; Vasic, S.M.; Dekic, M.S.; Radulovic, N.S.; Delic, G.T.; Durdevic, J.S.; Comic, L.R. Antimicrobial and antibiofilm effects of extracts from Trapa natans L., evaluation of total phenolic and flavonoid contents and gc-ms analysis. Acta Pol. Pharm., 2016, 73(6), 1565-1574.
[PMID: 29634111]
[24]
Patel, S.; Banji, D.; Banji, O.J.F.; Patel, M.M.; Shah, K.K. Scrutinizing the role of aqueous extract of Trapa bispinosa as an immunomodulator in experimental animals. Int. J. Res. Pharm. Sci, 2010, 1(1), 13-19.
[25]
Wang, H.; Cao, G.; Prior, R.L. Total antioxidant capacity of fruits. J. Agric. Food Chem., 1996, 44(3), 701-705.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/jf950579y]
[26]
Ambikar, D.B.; Mohanta, G.P. Evaluation of neuropharmacological activity of petroleum ether, methanolic and aqueous extracts of flower heads of Sphaeranthus indicus in mice. J. Appl. Pharm. Sci., 2014, 4(4), 112-118.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.7324/JAPS.2014.40419]
[27]
Singh, A.V.; Singh, A.; Nath, L.K.; Pani, N.R. Evaluation of Trapa bispinosa Roxb. starch as pharmaceutical binder in solid dosage form. Asian Pac. J. Trop. Biomed., 2011, 1(1), S86-S89.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S2221-1691(11)60131-7] [PMID: 23569728]
[28]
Singh, G.D.; Bawa, A.S.; Singh, S.; Saxena, D.C. Physicochemical, pasting, thermal and morphological characteristics of Indian water chestnut (Trapa natans) starch. Stärke, 2009, 61(1), 35-42.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/star.200800233]
[29]
Tulyathan, V.; Boondee, K.; Mahawanich, T. Characteristics of starch from water chestnut (Trapa bispinosa Roxb.). J. Food Biochem., 2005, 29(4), 337-348.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-4514.2005.00010.x]
[30]
Kharbanda, C.; Sarwar Alam, M.; Hamid, H.; Bano, S.; Haider, S.; Nazreen, S.; Ali, Y.; Javed, K. Trapa natans L. root extract suppresses hyperglycemic and hepatotoxic effects in STZ-induced diabetic rat model. J. Ethnopharmacol., 2014, 151(2), 931-936.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jep.2013.12.007] [PMID: 24333959]
[31]
Jahan, N. Study of Pharmacological and Toxicological Activities of Trapa bispinosa. M. Pharm Dissertation; The East West University: Bangladesh, 2014.
[32]
Hazarika, I.; Mukundan, G.K.; Sundari, P.S. Neuroprotective effect of Hydrocotyle sibthorpioides against monosodium glutamate-induced excitotoxicity. Nat. Prod. Res., 2022, 36(23), 6156-6159.
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14786419.2022.2057493] [PMID: 35356842]

Rights & Permissions Print Cite
© 2024 Bentham Science Publishers | Privacy Policy