Beni-Suef University Journal of Basic and Applied Sciences 7 (2018) 559–563

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Beni-Suef University
Journal of Basic and Applied Sciences
journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/bjbas

Review Article

A review on Adenium obesum: A potential endemic medicinal plant in Oman T

Associate Professor Dr. Md. Amzad Hossain
School of Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy and Nursing, University of Nizwa, P.O. Box 33, Postal Code 616 Nizwa, Oman

A R T I C LE I N FO A B S T R A C T

Keywords: Medicinal plants have played a vital role in the treatment of various human diseases and development of the
Adenium obesum society since the ancient times. Medicinal plants are the only safe sources for new drugs to treat curable and
Review incurable diseases. About 25% of the prescription drugs available worldwide are derived from natural resources.
Desert rose Adenium obesum (AO) is one of the rare endemic medicinal plants in Oman and it belongs to family Apocynaceae.
Apocynaceae
A biochemical investigation of the local AO species showed that the selected plant contained different groups of
Biochemical study
chemical compounds such as carbohydrate, cardiac glycoside, flavonoid, prenylated flavonoids, terpenoids,
Pharmacological activities
pregnanes etc. In addition, the pharmacological activities on the selected Omani species showed significant
antimicrobial, antioxidant, anticancer, antiviral and immune modulatory activities. Only a few scientific re-
search has been performed on the indigenous AO plant species. For this reason, it is mandatory for human,
mainly the young generation to be aware of the toxicity, biochemical and pharmacological activities of the
selected AO plant species. This comprehensive review report of the selected medicinal plant includes taxonomy,
biological activity, phytochemicals, and potential uses. The study concludes that the plant extracts or isolated
phytochemicals might be used as safe novel medicine in the near future for therapy and prevention of different
diseases in the near future.

1. Introduction compounds are increasing day by day. Futhermore, the pharmacolo-

gical activities of the selected plant showed significant antimicrobial,
1.1. Plant profile antioxidant, anticancer, antiviral and immunomodulation activities
(Hossain et al., 2013; Yash et al., 2015). However, there is still a lack of
Since the ancient times, plants and plant products have been ex- animal study on the selected Omani AO species.
ponentially increasing in the field of traditional systems like homeop-
athy, acupuncture, aromatherapy, ayurvedic medicine system etc. 1.2. Synonyms
Many people are known to be treating different diseases by naturally
obtained medicine through traditional systems due to their low costs There are six synonyms available globally. However, only two are
and fewer side effects. Presently, more than 80% of the world popula- available in the southern part of the Sultanate of Oman.
tion is using those natural medicines for therapy and prevention of
different diseases (Martins, 2013). In addition, around two- thirds of 1. Adenium multiflorum
commercial drugs launched in the world global market yearly is ex- 2. Adenium obesum
tracted or isolated from natural resources. Recent data from the US 3. Desert rose
reveals that about 25% of the prescribed pharmaceutical drugs avail- 4. Impala lily
able in the global market to treat different diseases are based on plant 5. Kudu lily
chemicals (Orhan, 2012). In general, plants are still the best natural 6. Mock azalea
source of secondary metabolic compounds, which can be used for the
treatment of different diseases (Hossain et al., 2013; Said et al., 2018; 1.3. Taxonomic classification
Akhtar et al., 2017; Raqiya and Hossain, 2017; Asma et al., 2017). The
biochemical investigation of the selected plant species showed that the Kingdom Plantae: Plants; Subkingdom Tracheobionta: Vascular
plant contained carbohydrate, cardiac glycoside, flavonoid, prenylated plants; Subdivision Spermatophyta: Seed plants; Division
flavonoids, terpenoids, pregnanes along with several other minor che- Magnoliophyta: Flowering plants; Class Magnoliopsida:
mical compounds (Akhtar et al., 2017). The groups of chemical Dicotyledons; Subclass: Asteridae; Order: Gentianales; Family:

E-mail address: amzad@unizwa.edu.om.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bjbas.2018.06.008
Received 14 May 2018; Received in revised form 17 June 2018; Accepted 24 June 2018
Available online 25 June 2018
2314-8535/ © 2018 Beni-Suef University. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/BY-NC-ND/4.0/).
Md. A. Hossain
Apocynaceae; Genus: Adenium; Species: obesum.
1.4. Distribution of plant
Initially, AO species originated from African countries, but, nowa-
days it is now found in most tropical and subtropical countries (Hossain
et al., 2013; Akhtar et al., 2017). The selected plant species is widely
distributed across the African region (e.g., Ethiopia, Kenya, Senegal,
Somalia, Sudan and Tanzania) and also in Asian region (e.g., most of
the Arabian countries, Malaysia, Pakistan, India etc.). Several species of
the selected plant are available in Oman (Akhtar et al., 2017). One of
which is the desert rose that can be found in the Sultanate of Oman. All
parts of the specific species are used as medicine for the treatment of
varied diseases. Therefore, the selected plant species are cultivated
commercially all over the world due to its medicinal values (Hossain
et al., 2013; Akhtar et al., 2017).
1.5. Description of plant
Globally Adenium obesum (AO) is considered as a medicinal plant
belonging to the Apocynaceae family. Locally, it is known as desert rose
and the plant is considered as a slow growing long-leaved plant. It is
also known as an ornamental plant and is currently cultivated most
humid countries. The plant grows well in rocky and sandy soils
(Hossain et al., 2017). The height of this species is about two to four
meters (Fig. 1). Initially, the bark is pale yellow but later turn into
shades of grey and brown. The bark is smooth with gummy, white latex;
branchlets glabrescent, pubescent at apex. The shape of the leave is oval
and spirally arranged, clustered at the end of branch lets (Hossain et al.,
2014a,b,c). The flowers and fruits of the selected species are a special
type and they depend on environmental conditions (Mouza and
Hossain, 2015). Normally, the flowers are multi coloured. The fruit is
follicle and at maturity, it splits along one side to release seeds (Hossain
et al., 2014a,b,c). All AO species including the Omani ones are produce
milky sap containing some toxic chemical compounds that can create
skin irritation (Hossain et al., 2017).
1.6. Traditional use
All parts of local AO species are important and are traditionally used
as medicine to treat different diseases. In Omani tradition, the most
important use of the paste of the whole plant is to treat venereal dis-
eases (Mouza and Hossain, 2015; Hossain et al., 2014a,b,c). The lotion
which is isolated from the root and the bark is used to treat different
skin diseases and to kill lice (Mouza and Hossain, 2015; Hossain et al.,
2014a,b,c). The white latex of this plant is very good medicine in the
treatment of tooth decay and septic wounds (Hossain et al., 2017;
Fig. 1. Different part of plant picture.
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Beni-Suef University Journal of Basic and Applied Sciences 7 (2018) 559–563
Mouza and Hossain, 2015). The isolated latex of the endemic plant
species is toxic, hence it is used as a pesticide. On the other hand, the
Somalian use it to treat nasal infections (Hossain et al., 2014a,b,c).
Kenyans use the white latex to kill lice and the powder of the stem to
kill skin parasites for camels and cattle (Hossain et al., 2014a,b,c). Also
the bark is a good medicine to treat abortifacient (Hossain et al.,
2014a,b,c; Codd, 2011; Dimmitt and Hanson, 2002). Nigerians also use
the whole plant for antiplasmodial, anti-trypanosomal and anti-leish-
manial activities (Codd, 2011; Dimmitt and Hanson, 2002). Omani
people also traditionally use it to treat wounds, skin diseases, head-
aches, muscle pain and joint pain (Hossain et al., 2017; Mouza and
Hossain, 2015).
1.7. Plant collection
The selected whole plant was collected from Dhofar region in the
Southern part of Oman in the year 2014. Firstly, the stem-barks were
separated from the plant and sliced into small pieces for drying and
processing. After the drying, it was ground and extracted with me-
thanol. The methanol extract was fractioned through a solvent–solvent
extraction process using different polarities of solvents with increasing
polarity (Hossain et al., 2017; Mouza and Hossain, 2015). All polarities
of crude extracts were used for the determination of biochemical ana-
lysis and different pharmacological activities.
2. Biochemical
Different types of compounds found in the locally grown whole AO
plant which is increased gradually based on the age of the plant
(Malebo et al., 2009). The phytochemical study showed that the se-
lected plant contained different groups of chemical compounds like
carbohydrate, cardiac glycoside, flavonoid, prenylated flavonoids, ter-
penoids, and pregnanes etc. (Akhtar et al., 2017). Most of the isolated
individual chemical compounds from the selected plant were biologi-
cally active (Akhtar et al., 2017; Amin et al., 2013; Harshet al., 2002).
Previous studies of the selected plant by different authors showed that a
total 53 compounds were isolated and identified (Amin et al., 2013;
Harshet al., 2002). Some are toxic and they have different biological
activities like antiviral, antitumor, and cytotoxic activities (Hossain
et al., 2013). However, in the Gulf countries, only a few studies have
been conducted on the selected endemic medicinal plant. In addition,
only a few phytochemical studies have been done on the local AO plant
(Amin et al., 2013; Harshet al., 2002). Therefore, the aim of this review
is to deal with the biological and phytochemical studies on different
parts of endemic AO species. The isolated chemical compounds re-
ported so far from the various part of endemic AO species is presented
in Table 1.
Md. A. Hossain Beni-Suef University Journal of Basic and Applied Sciences 7 (2018) 559–563

Table 1
Chemical Compounds of AO in Oman.
Plant part Name of Chemical compounds Structure Reference

Stem-bark 1. Betulin Amin et al. (2013), Harshet al. (2002)

OH
H

H
HO
H
2. Rosmarinic Acid OH Hossain et al. (2017)
O 3'
OH OH
O 2'
9' 4'
6 7 1'
9 8' 5'
5 O
1 8 7' 6'
2
4
HO 3

OH
Stems 1. 3,5,7,3′,4′,5′-Hexahydroxy flavone Hossain et al. (2017)

2. 5,7,3′,4-Tetrahydroxy flavone

Leaves 1. Honghelin Amin et al. (2013), Harsh et al. (2002)

2. Obeside B
3. Obeside C

1. R = H
2. 2. R = OH
3. R = OCOCH3

3. Pharmacological activities Dimmitt and Hanson, 2002; Malebo et al., 2009; Amin et al., 2013).

The selected plant species is a rare long-leaved plant and it is found
in most of the Gulf countries, including the Sultanate of Oman (Hossain
et al., 2017). The plant contains several groups of compounds with
different biological activities. In the Gulf region, the plant is used for
the treatment of different ailments. Traditionally, different parts of the
selected plant are used by Omani people to treat venereal diseases,
wounds, skin diseases, headaches, muscle pain, joint and pain lice
(Mouza and Hossain, 2015). The plant also showed significant anti-
microbial, antioxidant, anticancer, antiplasmodial, anti-trypanosomal
and anti-leishmanial activities (Hossain et al., 2014a,b,c; Codd, 2011;
3.1. Antioxidant activity
The antioxidant activity of all polarity extracts of Omani AO species
was measured by a well-established DPPH method (Hossain et al.,
2014b). All polarity extracts showed different antioxidant activities
within the range of 44–96%. According to the published results among
the different polarity extracts, the highest antioxidant activity was ob-
tained in butanol extract and the lowest was obtained in hexane extract.
The activity of the plant extract depends on the chemical compounds
which were isolated by using different polarity solvents from the plant.

561
Md. A. Hossain
The experimental results showed that butanol extract of Omani AO
species have the highest activity which means that the majority of the
active compounds are present in the butanol extract. On the other hand,
hexane extract showed minimum activity, which means that hexane
extract contains less number of active chemical compounds. Almost
similar results were obtained from other countries and other AO species
(Hossain et al., 2014a,b,c; Codd, 2011; Dimmitt and Hanson, 2002).
Besides, the antioxidant activity also varies from one part to the other
parts of the plant. Previous studies on antioxidant activity indicated
that the stem-bark extract showed the highest activity compared to
other parts (Hossain et al., 2014b). Similar pattern results obtained
from Omani AO species also revealed the same pattern comparing dif-
ferent parts (Hossain et al., 2014b). Extraction methods also play a vital
role in the antioxidant activity of the plant extracts. Several other
previous studies showed that Soxhlet extraction method is better than
the maceration method. In the Soxhlet method, the solvent is evapo-
rated by heating and the fresh solvent recycled again and again to
dissolve the compounds from the plant samples. On the other hand, in
the maceration method, the solvent is used at the beginning of the
experiment and it can dissolve the compounds until the solvent is sa-
turated by the compounds. After saturation, the solvent is not able to
dissolve any more compounds in the plant samples. Therefore, the an-
tioxidant activity is more comparative when the Soxhlet extract method
is used for extraction (Hossain et al., 2014b).
3.2. Antimicrobial activity
All polarity crude extracts of the selected endemic plant species
were examined for their antimicrobial activity against Gram (+ and −)
bacterial strains such as Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli,
Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Valgurais by existing method (Harsh et al.,
2002; Malebo et al., 2009; Amin et al., 2013). Antibiotics, amoxicillin
and dimethyl sulphoxide solvent (DMSO) were used as positive and
negative controls. All the bacterial strains were clinically isolated and
collected from the local hospital. All the crude extracts showed poten-
tially moderate activity against the Gram (+ and −) bacterial strains.
Among the prepared extracts, the highest antimicrobial inhibition was
obtained in butanol extract. The experimental results showed that the
biological activity depended on the polarity of the solvents. It indicated
that antimicrobial activity was responsible for bioactive compounds
(Hossain et al., 2014a,b; Agrawal, 1989; Goad and Akihisa, 1997;
Gohari et al., 2003; Dewick et al., 1992; Fairouz et al., 2004; Gordon, &
David, 2001; Hakim et al., 2002; Harborne, 1986; Hodek et al., 2002).
In addition, among the employed bacterial strains, only the gram-ne-
gative type strains showed moderate antimicrobial activity against all
polarity crude extracts at all concentrations of the selected plant spe-
cies. Similar results were reported in the literature by several authors
(Hossain et al., 2014a,b; Hui et al., 2001; Naji et al., 2013; Mabry et al.,
1997; Markhman, 1992; Masry et al. 2002; Neuwinger, 2011; Rowley,
1983; World Health Organisation, 2001). Recently, the biological ac-
tivities of the isolated compounds were reported on the selected plant
species (Akhtar et al., 2017; Hossain et al., 2017). The maximum in-
hibition shown by hexahydroxyflavone compared to trahydroxyflavone
against P. vulgaris. Similar experiment results were also reported on the
isolated pure flavonoids compounds against S. aureus, E. coli, P. aeru-
ginosa and P. vulgaris. All isolated flavonoids against the Gram (+ and
−) tested bacteria gave the moderate activity at all applied con-
centrations. The range of inhibition zones of the pure compounds was
9–14 mm. The isolated hexahydroxyflavone showed maximum inhibi-
tion against P. vulgaris (IZ = 14 mm) in comparison with the standard
antibiotics. The experimental results indicate that the activity is in-
creases with the increase of hydroxyl group. Similarly, the anti-
microbial activity of the isolated pure compounds and crude extracts
was determined by our existing disc diffusion method (Akhtar et al.,
2017; Hossain et al., 2017). All prepared crude extracts and isolated
plant compounds showed moderate antimicrobial potential within the
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Beni-Suef University Journal of Basic and Applied Sciences 7 (2018) 559–563
range of 0–13 mm. The different extracts and pure isolated plant
compounds showed moderate antimicrobial activity against E. coli. This
could reveal the variety of bioactive compounds and the negotiation of
their bioactivity by the polarity of solvents (Harsh et al., 2002; Agrawal,
1989; Goad and Akihisa, 1997). Our experimental results completely
agree with previous results presented by Tijjani et al. (2011a,b). The
isolated rosmarinic acid from other plant species has earlier been shown
to have maximum activity (Tijjani et al., 2011a,b).
4. Conclusion
The local AO is an ornamental and toxic plant widely available in
Arabian Gulf including Oman. All parts of the selected plant were used
as medicine to treat different aliments. Traditionally, in Oman, the
plant is used mainly to treat infectious and venereal diseases. It is a
long-leaved plant that grows mainly in the hilly, rocky and sandy soil.
From the literature, about 53 compounds were isolated from the se-
lected plant. All the isolated compounds and different polarity crude
extracts from different parts of the selected plant showed different
moderate biological activities. The literature survey showed that the
plant crude extracts and isolated compounds have varied biological
activities such as antitumor, antimicrobial, anti-influenza, mollusci-
cidal, locusticidal, and antiviral activities, including potential im-
munomodulatory and cardiotonic activities. Still, no study on essential
oil of the plant parts has been carried out. Furthermore, no investiga-
tion has been done on the animal study of the isolated pure compounds
as well as the different polarity extracts. According to previous reports,
the plant could be a good source for new drugs. Therefore, this current
review report of the selected plant might help other researchers to carry
out further investigations into its better use in pharmaceutical, agro-
chemical, and cosmetics industries.
Acknowledgement
I am grateful to Dr. Pius Ochieng, IELP teacher, Foundation
Institute, University of Nizwa for his help in correcting the manuscript.
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