Chemical Constituents and Biological Properties of Species of the Genus Serjania

Serjania genus is native of Neotropics, from Mexico to Northern Argentina, and includes more than 230 species, most of them found in Mexico and Brazil. Although the genus is scarcely studied, the scientific literature and ethnobotanic information suggest that the extracts or fractions of these extracts have components with different biological properties. A bibliographic search in SciFinder and Scopus data carried out in April 2014 and using the keyword Serjania showed eighteen compounds belonging to different classes of natural products identified in seven species of the genus, namely: Serjania communis, S. triqueta, S. salzmanniana, S. grammatophora, S. cuspidata, S. yucatensis and S. caracasana. In this review we discuss the main biological activities of these eighteen natural compounds. The extracts or fractions of extracts of these seven plants described in the literature showed the following biological activities: analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antiprotozoal, anticancer, antibacterial, larvicidal, gastroprotective and insect repelent. Especially relevant is the anticancer activity of some fractions and plant extracts according to the criterion of The American National Cancer Institute for fractions and plant extracts. Of the fatty acids group found in the seeds of the Serjania species described in the literature, most are unsaturated, such oleic, arachidic, and eicosenoic. The latter represents 57% - 70% of the total fatty acids content in the Serjania species studied.