Jordan is rich in the flora of ethnobotanical importance. This scoping review aims to highlight the ethnopharmacological value of Jordanian medicinal plants using the Preferred Reporting Items of Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines. A total of one hundred twenty-four articles published between 2000 and 2022 obtained from PubMed, EBSCO, and Google Scholar databases were included in this review. These plants own several classes of secondary bioactive metabolites, including alkaloids, flavonoids, phenolics, and terpenes. Jordanian plants exhibited potential therapeutic activity against various tumors, bacterial infections, elevated blood glucose levels, hyperlipidemia, platelets aggregation disorders, and gastrointestinal disorders. Phytochemicals' biological activities depend on their structures, parts used, methods of extraction, and evaluation model. In conclusion, this review highlights the need of researching Jordan's abundant naturally occurring medicinal plants and their phytochemicals as novel lead molecules in drug discovery and development. Studying active phytochemicals for disease treatment will help develop drugs for safe treatment and cure in the future.

Terfezia claveryi (T. claveryi) is used by traditional healers in the Middle East region to treat several diseases, including diabetes. The present study evaluated the total phenolic and investigated the blood-glucose-lowering potential of different aqueous extracts of this selected truffle using in vitro and in vivo models. The phytochemical profile was examined using UPLC-MS. The macerate and the microwave-assisted extract were the richest in phenolic compounds. All T. claveryi extracts exhibited a remarkable α-glucosidase inhibitory effect in vitro, with an IC₅₀ of 2.43, 3.26, 5.18 and 3.31 mg/mL for the aqueous microwave-assisted extract macerate, infusion and decoction, respectively. On the other hand, in the high-fat diet alloxan-induced diabetic mice model, all tested crude aqueous extracts exhibited a significant antihyperglycemic activity (p < 0.05). Four hours after the administration of the 250 mg/kg dose, the macerate was able to induce a 29.4% blood-glucose-lowering effect compared to a 24.8% reduction induced by the infusion, which was sustained for a further two hours. The hypoglycemic effect (29.3% and 32.4%) was also recorded six hours after the administration of the single dose 500 mg/kg of the macerate and the infusion, respectively. Truffle extracts exhibited antidiabetic activity both in vitro and in vivo, providing a rationale for the traditional use as a natural hypoglycemic.

Carthamus oxyacantha M.Bieb is a promising repository of active phytochemicals. These bioactive compounds work synergistically to promote the plant’s antioxidant, anticancer, and immunomodulatory capabilities. The present study aimed to discover the potential immunomodulatory and cytotoxicity of different extracts of Carthamus oxycantha roots. Aqueous ethanol (70%), aqueous methanol (90%), ethyl acetate, and n-hexane extracts were tested against five cell lines (T47D, MDA-MB231, Caco-2, EMT6/P, and Vero). Among these extracts, ethyl acetate and n-hexane extracts showed significant activity in inhibiting the proliferation of cancerous cells because of the presence of several phytochemical compounds, including flavonoids, phenolics, and alkaloids. The n-hexane extract was the most potent extract against T47D and Caco-2 cell lines and had IC₅₀ values of 0.067 mg/mL and 0.067 mg/mL, respectively. In comparison, ethyl acetate extract was active against T47D and MDAMB231, and IC₅₀ values were 0.0179 mg/mL and 0.03 mg/mL, respectively. Both n-hexane and ethyl acetate extracts reduced tumor size (by 49.981% and 51.028%, respectively). Remarkably, Carthamus oxyacantha extracts decreased the average weight of the tumor cells in the in vivo model. The plant induced significant apoptotic activity by the activation of caspase-3, immunomodulation of macrophages, and triggering of pinocytosis. The implications of these intriguing findings demand additional research to broaden the scope of the understanding of this field, opening the doors to the possibilities of using Carthamus oxyacantha M.Bieb as an effective cancer treatment adjuvant in the future.

Medicinal plants have been used since ancient times and may even be considered the origin of modern medicine. Natural products are a potential source for drug discovery and development of cancer treatments. Several pharmacological therapeutic activities were reported for Chiliadenus iphionoides. This research was designed to evaluate the essential oil of Chiliadenus iphionoides antioxidant potential and antiproliferative activity both in vitro and in vivo. The essential oil of Chiliadenus iphionoides was extracted by hydrodistillation. The chemical composition analysis was performed using gas chromatography. The main compounds identified in Chiliadenus iphionoides essential oil were oxygenated monoterpenes, such as eucalyptol (36.08%). A dose-dependent inhibition of cell proliferation was observed after the treatment of various cell lines (A549 (human lung cancer adenocarcinoma), MDA-MB-231 (triple-negative breast cancer cell line), T47 (human breast cancer cell line), EMT6/P (mouse mammary sarcoma cell line)) with increasing concentrations of the essential oil (0.02–2.5 mg/mL). The essential oil of Chiliadenus iphionoides was more cytotoxic against EMT6 and T47 cells with IC₅₀ values of 0.03±0.03 and 0.08± 0.009 mg/mL, respectively. The essential oil exhibited low cytotoxicity against a normal VERO cell line (IC₅₀ value > 4 mg/ml). Balb/C mice were inoculated with EMT6/p breast cancer cells and then treated with (60 mg/kg/day intraperitoneal injection) of essential extract for ten days. Interestingly, a significant (p < 0.05) reduction occurred in the tumor size of the treated group compared to the control group. Treatment toxicity was evaluated by measuring liver and kidney parameters. The tumor-bearing mice treated with the Chiliadenus iphionoides extract showed normal serum levels of AST, creatinine, and slight elevation in ALT level. The results indicated that Chiliadenus iphionoides have anticancer properties both in vitro and in vivo. We suggest that eucalyptol, a major active component, is a promising candidate for use as an anticancer agent. However, further molecular investigation is required to understand the molecular bearings of Chiliadenus iphionoides activity.

Natural compounds have been extensively investigated for new drug discoveries. Micromeria genus is known to be rich in essential oils and bioactive constituents possessing significant biological activities. The current work aims to explore the phytochemical composition of M. myrtifolia liquid extracts and to evaluate their antioxidant, antimicrobial, and antidiabetic activity in vitro. The LC-MS/MS detected various phenolic compounds, especially in the aqueous extract. The aqueous extract of M. myrtifolia positively inhibited α-amylase activity with an IC50 value of 174.44 ± 0.68 mg/mL, and showed the highest antioxidant activity as it scavenged the DPPH radicals from 23.25% to 63.72% with increasing concentration from ~ 0.04 to 0.15 mg/mL. On the other hand, ethyl acetate extract illustrated the lowest antioxidant activity as the % radical scavenging activity of 77% was achieved at the concentration of 7.5 mg/mL. Tested extracts were more effective against Gram-positive bacteria in a dose-dependent manner with logarithmic CFU reduction. Micromeria myrtifolia methanol extract exhibited potential antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis with an MICs value of 3.15 μg/μL and 25 μg/μL, respectively. In comparison, ethyl acetate and hexane extracts had antibacterial activity against Streptomyces epidermidis at MICs of 3.125 μg/μL and 12.5 μg/μL, respectively. Gram-negative bacteria were more challenging to eradicate; however, ethyl acetate, methanol and dichloromethane extracts were successful in reducing the number of Escherichia coli CFUs in a dose-dependent manner at MIC of 25 μg/μL for both ethyl acetate and methanol extracts and at MIC of 50 μg/μL for dichloromethane extract. While Pseudomonas aeruginosa only responded to hexane extract at MIC of 50 μg/μL. The antioxidant, antibacterial, and antidiabetic effects of M. myrtifolia extracts bear significant clinical and therapeutic implications. Furthermore, the potent antioxidant properties make M. myrtifolia extract promising candidates for developing nutraceuticals or pharmaceuticals, particularly for conditions associated with oxidative stress.

Blood glucose levels may vary during the day, when this variation goes below a specific limit, hypoglycemia occurs. Hypoglycemia is often associated with reductions in quality of life and even the risk of death. Moreover, hypoglycemia is correlated with physical and/or psychological morbidity. It is usually a result of the complex interaction between hyperinsulinemia and the compromised physiological and behavioral responses attempting to reduce glucose levels. Nevertheless, several conditions can cause hypoglycemia, both in diabetic and non-diabetic patients. Mutually, diabetic and non-diabetic hypoglycemia is common in terms of several medications, alcohol ingestion, critical illnesses, and non-B cell tumors.