Abstract

Phyllanthus niruri L. (Euphorbiaceae) (P. niruri) has traditionally been used in many tropical countries to treat various ailments, such as kidney stones, chronic liver diseases, diabetes and viral infections. The versatile ethnomedicinal usage of the herb is tightly associated with its multiple pharmacological properties such as immunomodulator, anti-viral, antibacterial, diuretic, anti-hyperglycemia and hepatoprotector. The scope of this review is limited only to the clinical evidences demonstrating benefits of the plant P. niruri with its immunomodulatory properties, for the treatment of various infectious diseases. These evidences are expected to provide the plant a more significant place in the current clinical settings, particularly in the management of infectious diseases. P. niruri as an immunomodulator has scientifically been studied and evaluated in various clinical trials for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B, pulmonary tuberculosis, vaginitis, as well as varicella-zoster infection. In such diseases, the effective immune system is crucial to the treatment success and eradication of the pathogens. In those clinical studies, P. niruri has been proven for its capacity to modulate and activate the immune system. In fact, there are numerous in vitro and animal studies reporting potential benefits of the immunomodulatory properties of P. niruri, and numbers of randomized controlled clinical studies have been published to date. In the light of the scarcity of research to discover new, more effective and safe anti-infection chemical entities, that is also complicated with the growing threat from the new generations of drug resistant-pathogens, the utilization of nature-derived immunomodulatory agents, either alone or combined with the currently available antibiotics or antivirals, is undoubtedly promising and of clinical importance. Most of the studies on P. niruri warrant its potential benefits in various infectious diseases, and are expected to grant the herb an important place in the management of such diseases in the formal clinical practice.

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