Bombacaceae: a phytochemical review.

CONTEXT Bombacaceae is a small family of the order Malvales and contains about 28 genera and 200 species. Members of this family are not only showy ornamentals but they possess significant economical and commercial reputation as well. In addition, various plant parts of several species are widely used as foods and traditional medicines in many parts of the world. OBJECTIVE Chemical analyses of Bombacaceae species have recently yielded a number of important phytocompounds belonging to different classes. Hence, this work represents a comprehensive appraisal of the phytochemical studies conducted on Bombacaceae plants. MATERIALS AND METHODS Searches were conducted using electronic databases (e.g., Medline, Pubmed, Academic Journals, and Springer Link); general web searches were also undertaken using Google applying some related search terms "e.g., Bombacaceae, phytochemical studies of Bombacaeae plants, and chemical investigation of Bombacaeae", journals and scientific theses. The bibliographies of papers relating to the review subject were also searched for further relevant references. RESULTS Chemical investigations were concentrated primarily on certain species leaving fertile fields for further phytopharmacological research. CONCLUSION The reviewed findings present Bombacaceae species as an untapped reservoir of phytocompounds which may play a supportive role in the pharmaceutical field and will be of high chemotaxonomic value within this recently separated family.