Skip to content
DraconiticResearch
Search Sources API
203,234 studies31 sourcesUpdated 13 min ago
Peer-reviewedCC BY 4.0Frontiers in Pharmacology

Pigeonpea leaves in orthopedic diseases: bioactive metabolites, pharmacological actions and therapeutic potential

  • Yuan Zeng1,2
  • Weifeng Liang1,2
  • Jiayi Chen1,2
  • Feifan Luan1,2
  • Zhuneng Guo1,2
  • Chunwei Wei1,2
  • Xusong Li1,2
  • Chenxiao Zheng1,2
  • Minhua Hu1,2
  1. 1Zhongshan Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine Affiliated to Guangzhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine
  2. 2Zhongshan Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine
Read full textPDFDOICite

Abstract

Pigeonpea leaves are derived from Cajanus cajan (L.) Huth [Fabaceae] and have long been used in traditional medicine to relieve blood stasis, swelling, pain, and musculoskeletal disorders. Flavonoids, stilbenes, phenolic acids, and triterpenoids are among the main metabolite classes identified in pigeonpea leaves. Experimental studies have linked pigeonpea leaf-derived materials to changes in inflammatory and oxidative-stress-related outcomes, microcirculation, and bone metabolism. Accordingly, their potential relevance to orthopedic disorders, including osteonecrosis of the femoral head, osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, and bone defects, has attracted increasing interest. Reported preclinical effects include changes in osteogenic differentiation, osteoclast formation, local blood supply, lipid metabolism, and inflammation- or oxidative-stress-related tissue injury. Among the investigated materials, total-flavonoid fractions, stilbene-rich extracts, the purified metabolite cajanin, and Tongluo Shenggu Capsule have shown biological activity in experimental models. This review summarizes the current research on pigeonpea leaves and their extracts, fractions, purified metabolites, and preparations in orthopedic disorders and discusses their possible mechanisms of action, potential relevance to orthopedic disorders, limitations of the available evidence, and remaining research gaps.

Related

  1. Pharmacological regulation of chondrocyte ferroptosis by plant-derived metabolites in osteoarthritis: from molecular mechanisms to targeted nanodelivery
    Tianci Guo, Qi Liu, Jida Wang +4
    Frontiers in pharmacologyPeer-reviewedCC BYFull textPharmacology & toxicologyEurope PMCCrossref
  2. Microbial metabolites in chemotherapy-induced cognitive impairment: from mechanistic associations to pharmacological target validation
    Yuanyuan Tian, Wentao Li, Juyue Zhou +1
    Frontiers in PharmacologyPeer-reviewedCC BY 4.0Pharmacology & toxicologyFrontiersCrossref
  3. Genomics and metabolomics analyses reveal the endophytic fungus Neocucurbitaria sp. VM-36 as a potential source of bioactive metabolites against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus
    Xiao Li, Rosario del Carmen Flores-Vallejo, Ting He +2
    Frontiers in MicrobiologyPeer-reviewedCC BY 4.0Full textPharmacology & toxicologyCrossrefEurope PMCEurope PMCPMC
  4. LC‐MS‐Based Annotation of Bioactive Metabolites From Streptomyces fimicarius‐ghR Against the Common Scab Pathogen Using Molecular Networking
    Maryam Ramezani‐Moghadam, Sareh Baghaee‐Ravari, Abolghasem Danesh +4
    Chemistry & BiodiversityPeer-reviewedCC BY-NC-ND 4.0Full textPharmacology & toxicologyPMC
  5. Traditional Paeonia radix alba formulas and their bioactive metabolites: a narrative review focusing on hepatoprotection in chronic liver diseases
    Yanqi Li, Jinmin Shen, Xiaozhong He +7
    Frontiers in PharmacologyPeer-reviewedCC BY 4.0Pharmacology & toxicologyCrossref

Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{zeng2026pigeonpea,
  title = {{Pigeonpea leaves in orthopedic diseases: bioactive metabolites, pharmacological actions and therapeutic potential}},
  author = {Yuan Zeng and Weifeng Liang and Jiayi Chen and Feifan Luan and Zhuneng Guo and Chunwei Wei and Xusong Li and Chenxiao Zheng and Minhua Hu},
  journal = {Frontiers in Pharmacology},
  year = {2026},
  month = oct,
  doi = {10.3389/fphar.2026.1918539},
  url = {https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphar.2026.1918539/full},
  note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Pigeonpea leaves in orthopedic diseases: bioactive metabolites, pharmacological actions and therapeutic potential
AU  - Yuan Zeng
AU  - Weifeng Liang
AU  - Jiayi Chen
AU  - Feifan Luan
AU  - Zhuneng Guo
AU  - Chunwei Wei
AU  - Xusong Li
AU  - Chenxiao Zheng
AU  - Minhua Hu
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/07
JO  - Frontiers in Pharmacology
DO  - 10.3389/fphar.2026.1918539
UR  - https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphar.2026.1918539/full
AB  - Pigeonpea leaves are derived from Cajanus cajan (L.) Huth [Fabaceae] and have long been used in traditional medicine to relieve blood stasis, swelling, pain, and musculoskeletal disorders. Flavonoids, stilbenes, phenolic acids, and triterpenoids are among the main metabolite classes identified in pigeonpea leaves. Experimental studies have linked pigeonpea leaf-derived materials to changes in inflammatory and oxidative-stress-related outcomes, microcirculation, and bone metabolism. Accordingly, their potential relevance to orthopedic disorders, including osteonecrosis of the femoral head, osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, and bone defects, has attracted increasing interest. Reported preclinical effects include changes in osteogenic differentiation, osteoclast formation, local blood supply, lipid metabolism, and inflammation- or oxidative-stress-related tissue injury. Among the investigated materials, total-flavonoid fractions, stilbene-rich extracts, the purified metabolite cajanin, and Tongluo Shenggu Capsule have shown biological activity in experimental models. This review summarizes the current research on pigeonpea leaves and their extracts, fractions, purified metabolites, and preparations in orthopedic disorders and discusses their possible mechanisms of action, potential relevance to orthopedic disorders, limitations of the available evidence, and remaining research gaps.
SN  - 1663-9812
ER  -