Traditional uses, phytochemistry, and pharmacology of Toxicodendron vernicifluum (Stokes) F.A. Barkley - A review.

Toxicodendron vernicifluum (Stokes) F.A. Barkley (syn. Rhus verniciflua or vernicifera Stokes, Anacardiaceae) (RVS), the lacquer tree, also known as sumac, has been used in China, Japan and South Korea for thousands of years as a highly durable coating material and a traditional herbal medicine, which contains medicinal ingredients with anti-tumor, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, and anti-rheumatic activities. This review intends to provide a comprehensive and critical appraisal of RVS, including its phytochemical data, botanical and pharmacological literature that support its therapeutic potential in treatment on human diseases, with emphasis on the isolation of natural occurring compounds and detailed pharmacological investigations. Specific information of RVS was collected by using the key words " Toxicodendron vernicifluum ", " Rhus verniciflua Stokes", " Rhus vernicifera Stokes" and "Lacquer tree" through published scientific materials (including PubMed, ScienceDirect, Wiley, ACS, CNKI, Scifinder, Springer, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and Baidu Scholar) and other literature sources. The major phytoconstituents, 175 of which are presented in this review, including flavonoids, urushiols, terpenes, phenolic acids and other types of compounds, of which flavonoids and urushiols are main components. The extracts and isolates purified from RVS showed a wide range of in vitro and in vivo pharmacological effects, such as anti-cancer, anti-oxidation, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, tyrosinase inhibition and so on. The modern pharmacological research of RVS mainly focus on the pharmacological effects of crude extract or active constituents, of which the flavonoids are widely studied. However, there are few reports on the relationship between pharmacological effects and their structures. And at present, there is still a lack of researches that are of both effective and in-depth. Meanwhile, there is little research on quality control. Apart from the wood and lacquer, other botanical parts also need to be explored further. In addition to phenolic compounds, the study on other types of components in T. vernicifluum would start more sparks for the discovery of new bioactive principles. Image 1 • Toxicodendron vernicifluum (Stokes) F.A. Barkley is a traditional herbal medicine, which is commonly used in China, Japan and south Korea to treat various diseases. • In the past five years, there have been many reports about the constituents and pharmacological effects of T. vernicifluum , and it is urgent to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of this plant. • This review intends to provide a comprehensive and critical appraisal of T. vernicifluum , including its phytochemical data, botanical and pharmacological literatures that support its therapeutic potential in treatment to human diseases, with emphasis on the isolation of additional compounds and detailed pharmacological investigations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]