Schisandraceae family fruits: Exploring chemophenetic significance, UPLC/MSn database, phytochemistry, and pharmacological potential

Abstract

Fruits from the Schisandraceae family are renowned for their exceptional medicinal and nutritional properties. These fruits exhibit distinctive shapes and are rich in nutrients, offering edible, ornamental, aesthetic, and therapeutic qualities. Traditional uses of Schisandraceae fruits include the treatment of conditions such as rheumatism, chronic diarrhea, chronic cough, and neurological disorders. Emerging scientific and clinical evidence suggests these fruits have significant potential for various applications in the life sciences. This comprehensive review seeks to achieve two main goals: first, to provide a thorough overview of the chemophenetic relationships among the isolated compounds in Schisandraceae fruits and their underlying significance; second, to describe the development of an important database containing the molecular formulas and molecular weights of all the compounds identified within the Schisandraceae family. This database can facilitate targeted and rapid chemical detection studies using UPLC/MSⁿ techniques. The information and findings discussedin this paper were obtained through a thorough search of digital databases, including SciFinder, Google Scholar, PubMed, Elsevier, and the China Knowledge Resource Integrated (CNKI) databases, covering the period from 1988 to 2024. Approximately 326 phytochemicals were reviewed and identified, with lignans representing the predominant chemotaxonomic markers (∼73 %) in the fruits of Schisandraceae species. Other reported compound classes include terpenoids, fatty acids, and phenolic compounds. Furthermore, the reviewed literature highlights the main pharmacological properties of these Schisandraceae compounds, which include antiviral, cytotoxic, anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, antiproliferative, hepatoprotective, and antioxidant activities. This comprehensive information will inspire phytochemists to explore the rich chemical diversity of Schisandraceae fruits, potentially leading to the discovery of new medicines and advancing human health.