Turraea nilotica Kotschy & Peyr. (Meliaceae Family): Evaluation of Medicinal, Chemical and Pharmacological Properties

Alfred Maroyi

Turraea nilotica is an important medicinal plant species in Tropical Africa. The present review compiles existing information on medicinal uses and chemical and pharmacological properties of T. nilotica. Multiple searches on existing literature on the traditional, medicinal, phytochemistry and pharmacological properties of T. nilotica were conducted in online Databases such as Scopus^®, Google Scholar, SpringerLink^®, SciELO, ScienceDirect^®, PubMed^® and Web of Science, as well as additional pre-electronic scientific data obtained from the university library. Turraea nilotica is used as traditional medicine against animal and human diseases or ailments in five countries in tropical Africa. The phytochemical assessments of T. nilotica showed that cardiac glycosides, limonoids, protolimonoids, saponins and sterols characterize the species. The pharmacological evaluations of T. nilotica revealed that the crude extracts and phytochemical compounds isolated from the species exhibited antimicrobial, antiplasmodial, antifeedant and cytotoxicity activities. Detailed studies focusing on toxicity and safety, mechanisms of action, in vivo and clinical research aimed at corroborating the traditional medical applications of T. nilotica are recommended.

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