A review of traditional uses, phytochemicals and bioactivities of the Genus hypoestes

Background: Plants have been used as a folkloric source of medicinal agents since the beginning of mankind. The genus Hypoestes (family Acanthaceae) includes over 150 species. The ethno-pharmacological studies of the plant belonging to this genus indicated that they possess various bioactivities as cytotoxic, anti-leismanial, antimicrobial, antimalarial, antioxidant, and anti-trypanosomal. Furthermore, they have been utilized in different traditional medicines for treating various aliments as eye sores, breast, liver, heart, and skin diseases, respiratory infections, anemia, malaria, scabies, typhoid, hypertension, and gonorrhea. This review focuses on the traditional uses, chemical constituents, and bioactivities of Hypoestes species.Methods: The information was acquired from a literature searching in electronic databases such as ScienceDirect, PubMed, Google-Scholar, SpringerLink, Scopus, and Wiley up to 2017 for publications on genus Hypoestes.Results: The genus Hypoestes had varied classes of chemical constituents, including diterpenoids, alkaloids, lignans, and pentacyclic triterpenes. Herein, 46 metabolites and more than 30 references have been cited. Conclusion: This works provides a background for the future studies on Hypoestes species, particularly the species, which have not been extensively explored for separation and characterization of bioactive constituents and pharmacological potentials.Keywords: Hypoestes, Acanthaceae, Uses, Chemical constituents, Biological activitie