“podophyllum Hexandrum” – a Versatile Medicinal Plant

Podophyllum hexandrum a perennial herb, bearing the common name Himalayan Mayapple known as Aindri (a divine drug) in ancient times is native to the lower elevations in and surrounding the Himalaya. It has been reported to be used through the ages and in modern times as an intestinal purgative and emetic, salve for infected and necrotic wounds, and inhibitor of tumor growth. The rhizome of the plant contains a resin, known generally and commercially as Indian Podophyllum Resin, which can be processed to extract podophyllotoxin or podophyllin, a neurotoxin. Podophyllotoxin is the major lignan present in the resin and is a dimerized product of the intermediates of the phenylpropanoid pathway. The starting material of etoposide (Vepeside), an FDA approved anticancer drug is podophyllotoxin and has been used to treat testicular cancer as well as lung cancer by inhibiting replication of cancer cells. Podophyllotoxin finds use as a precursor for the semi-synthetic topoisomerase inhibitors in the treatment of leukemias, lung and testicular cancers, dermatological disorders like warts, rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis. It also has numerous applications in modern medicine by virtue of its free radical scavenging capacity. An extract of P. hexandrum has been shown to provide approximately 80% whole-body radioprotection in mice. Total synthesis of podophyllotoxin is an expensive process and availability of the compound from natural resources is an important issue for pharmaceutical companies that manufacture these drugs. The Indian P. hexandrum is superior to its American counterpart, P. peltatum in terms of its higher podophyllotoxin content (>5%) in dried roots in comparison to only 0.25% of P. peltatum. Thus, taking into consideration present status of P. hexandrum in general, it needs immediate attention for conservation, in depth studies for improving propagation techniques and podophyllotoxin production, encouraging its cultivation and a detailed study of its phytochemical diversity, particularly of marker compounds like podophyllotoxin and its glycosides.