Title:Kolaviron: A Biflavonoid with Numerous Health Benefits
Volume: 27
Issue: 4
Author(s): Ochuko L. Erukainure, Veronica F. Salau, Chika I. Chukwuma and Md. Shahidul Islam*
Affiliation:
- Department of Biochemistry, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville Campus, Durban 4000,South Africa
Keywords:
Garcinia kola, kolaviron, reproductive, neuroprotective, cardioprotective, hepatoprotective.
Abstract:
Background: The increasing interests on the healing properties of medicinal plants have led to a paradigm
shift from the use of synthetic drug to the search of natural medicines for the treatment and management of
several diseases. Like other phenolics flavonoids have been continuously explored for their medicinal benefits,
with their potent antioxidant activity being a major interest. Kolaviron (KVN) is a biflavonoid isolated from Garcinia
kola Heckel, which has been reported for its potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. These
properties have been explored in several disease models including reproductive toxicity, cardiotoxicity, diabetes
mellitus, gastrotoxicity and hepatotoxicity.
Objectives: The present study was aimed to review the reported medicinal properties of KVN in order to provide
some guidelines and direction to researchers on KVN research.
Methods: A literature search was conducted with the aim of identifying peer-reviewed published data on KVN
and their biological activities. Different academic and/or scientific search engines were utilized including but not
limited to Google Scholar, PubMed, ScienceDirect and so on.
Results: Among all the studied disease models obtained from the literatures, the effect of KVN on reproductive
toxicity was the most studied as it represented 25% of all the studies, followed by neuroprotective, cardioprotective
and hepatoprotective activities of Kolaviron. From our identified studies, KVN has been shown to have antidiabetic,
cardioprotective, neuroprotective, hematoprotective, nephroprotective, gastroprotective, hepatoprotective
activities. KVN also has effects on malaria and reproductive health, which can be explored for novel drug
and nutraceutical developments for related ailments. Unfortunately, while toxicity data are lacking, most studies
are limited to in vitro and/or in vivo models, which may impede translation in this area of research.
Conclusion: Based on data gathered from the literature search, it is evident that KVN possesses numerous health
benefits, which can be attributed to its potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. However, more studies
are required in this area of research to validate the medicinal value of kolaviron, which may positively influence
the economic value of plant, Garcinia kola.
