The Genus Diospyros: A Review of Novel Insights into the Biological Activity and Species of Mozambican Flora

Abstract

Species of the Diospyros L. genus (Ebenaceae family) have been largely used in traditional medicine for the treatment of several diseases, especially infectious ones. To date, active major compounds such as naphthoquinones, triterpenoids, and tannins have been isolated and pharmacologically validated from Diospyros species. The present study summarizes the information available in the literature on the species described in the Flora of Mozambique. To do so, scientific databases (e.g., PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar) were searched using various keywords and Boolean connectors to gather and summarize the information. Of the 31 native and naturalized species in the Flora of Mozambique, 17 are used in different regions of Africa and were described for their traditional uses. They were reported to treat more than 20 diseases, mostly infectious, in the gastrointestinal and oral cavity compartments. This work provides an overview of the therapeutical potential of Diospyros species and explores novel insights on the antimicrobial potential of extracts and/or isolated compounds of these Mozambican species.