Ruta L. is a typical genus of the citrus family, Rutaceae Juss. and comprises ca. 40 different species, mainly distributed in the Mediterranean region. Ruta species have long been used in traditional medicines as an abortifacient and emmenagogue and for the treatment of lung diseases and microbial infections. The genus Ruta is rich in essential oils, which predominantly contain aliphatic ketones, e.g., 2-undecanone and 2-nonanone, but lack any significant amounts of terpenes. Three Ruta species, Ruta chalepensis L., Ruta graveolens L., and Ruta montana L., have been extensively studied for the composition of their essential oils and several bioactivities, revealing their potential medicinal and agrochemical applications. This review provides a systematic evaluation and critical appraisal of publications available in the literature on the composition and bioactivities of the essential oils obtained from Ruta species and includes a brief outlook of the potential applications of nanotechnology and chitosan-based products of Ruta essential oils.

• Keywords
• 2-nonanone, 2-undecanone, Ruta, Ruta angustifolia, Ruta chalepensis, Ruta graveolens, Ruta montana, Ruta tuberculate, Rutaceae, bioactivity, essential oils,
• MeSH
• Antioxidants chemistry   pharmacology   MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Oils, Volatile * chemistry   pharmacology   MeSH
• Plant Oils chemistry   pharmacology   MeSH
• Ruta * chemistry   MeSH
• Animals MeSH
• Check Tag
• Humans MeSH
• Animals MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Review MeSH
• Names of Substances
• Antioxidants MeSH
• Oils, Volatile * MeSH
• Plant Oils MeSH

Dihydrofuranocoumarin, chalepin (1) and furanocoumarin, chalepensin (2) are 3-prenylated bioactive coumarins, first isolated from the well-known medicinal plant Ruta chalepensis L. (Fam: Rutaceae) but also distributed in various species of the genera Boenminghausenia, Clausena and Ruta. The distribution of these compounds appears to be restricted to the plants of the family Rutaceae. To date, there have been a considerable number of bioactivity studies performed on coumarins 1 and 2, which include their anticancer, antidiabetic, antifertility, antimicrobial, antiplatelet aggregation, antiprotozoal, antiviral and calcium antagonistic properties. This review article presents a critical appraisal of publications on bioactivity of these 3-prenylated coumarins in the light of their feasibility as novel therapeutic agents and investigate their natural distribution in the plant kingdom, as well as a plausible biosynthetic route.

• Keywords
• Ruta chalepensis, Rutaceae, bioactivity, biosynthesis, chalepensin, chalepin,
• MeSH
• Clausena chemistry   MeSH
• Furocoumarins biosynthesis   pharmacology   MeSH
• Coumarins chemistry   MeSH
• Plants, Medicinal chemistry   MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Plant Extracts metabolism   pharmacology   MeSH
• Ruta chemistry   MeSH
• Rutaceae chemistry   MeSH
• Animals MeSH
• Check Tag
• Humans MeSH
• Animals MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Review MeSH
• Names of Substances
• 3-(alpha,alpha-dimethylallyl)psoralen MeSH Browser
• chalepin MeSH Browser
• Furocoumarins MeSH
• Coumarins MeSH
• Plant Extracts MeSH