Chemical constituents of the oilseed crop Ricinus communis and their pharmacological activities: A review

⿢This review presents 83 compounds isolated from R. communis.⿢Pharmacological activities of extracts and isolated compounds are discussed.⿢Antimicrobial activity is the most well-studied pharmacological activity of the extracts.⿢Ricinus communis is a promising source of novel bioactive molecules.

Ricinus communis L. agronomic importance has stimulated a diverse set of studies related to pharmacological activities of extracts and compounds isolated from this plant. Phytochemical studies have shown that this species possesses a wide diversity of chemical compounds that presents relevant pharmacological activities. This review discusses 83 compounds that were isolated from different tissues of R. communis, which includes alkaloids, terpenoids, flavonoids, benzoic acid derivatives, coumarins, tocopherols, terpenoids and fatty acids. The potential to inhibit or prevent bacterial and fungal growth is the most extensively studied pharmacological activity of R. communis extracts, but many other activities are attributed to them, such as cytotoxicity, antioxidant, insecticidal, antiasthmatic, anti-inflammatory, and many others. Pharmacological activities of R. communis extracts and isolated compounds are discussed herein, and structure⿿activity relationships are presented when appropriate.