Biological Activities of Species of the Genus Clusia L (Clusiaceae): A General Approach.

Abstract

The genus Clusia L. is highly diverse in Central and South America, comprising about 300 species, including trees and shrubs, hemiepiphytes, epiphytes, and lianas. This genus deserves attention due to its wide range of biological activities. Clusia belongs to the Clusiaceae family, chemically characterized by the presence of xanthones, benzophenones, flavonoids, coumarins, terpenoids, and other substances with bioactive activity already described. This review aims to highlight the biological activity associated to extracts and isolated substances from species of the Clusia genus, including anti-HIV, antimicrobial, antioxidant, antinociceptive, antitumor, leishmanicidal, modulator of inflammatory processes, neutralization of toxic effects caused by snake bites, and others. This review gathered information on biological activities associated with different types of extracts and isolated substances of the genus Clusia, traditional use, chemical profile, and biological properties of plants of the genus, published in the last 23 years (1998 to 2021) and that can provide support for future research. The paper aims to provide an overview of existing knowledge about the biological properties of the genus Clusia plant species.