A comprehensive review of Schisandra chinensis lignans: pharmacokinetics, pharmacological mechanisms, and future prospects in disease prevention and treatment

Abstract Lignans derived from Schisandra chinensis have attracted significant attention for their diverse pharmacological activities and clinical potential. This review presents a comprehensive analysis of the pharmacological properties of Schisandra chinensis lignans, including their antioxidant, a...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Danushiya Ehambarampillai, Murphy Lam Yim Wan
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMC 2025-04-01
Series:Chinese Medicine
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1186/s13020-025-01096-z
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1849737405397991424
author Danushiya Ehambarampillai
Murphy Lam Yim Wan
author_facet Danushiya Ehambarampillai
Murphy Lam Yim Wan
author_sort Danushiya Ehambarampillai
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Lignans derived from Schisandra chinensis have attracted significant attention for their diverse pharmacological activities and clinical potential. This review presents a comprehensive analysis of the pharmacological properties of Schisandra chinensis lignans, including their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, hepatoprotective, antibacterial/viral, antidiabetic and anticancer effects. Their multifaceted mechanisms of action hold promise for therapeutic areas such as cancer, neurodegenerative diseases and metabolic disorders, aligning with urgent clinical needs. Additionally, this review explores the pharmacokinetics of these bioactive compounds, highlighting challenges in their absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion, which impact their bioavailability. Recent advancements in drug delivery systems are discussed, highlighting their potential to enhance therapeutic efficacy in clinical settings. Furthermore, the synergistic effects of combining these lignans with other therapeutic agents are considered a strategy to increase their efficacy. Future research is imperative to identify additional active components and elucidate novel mechanisms of action, paving the way for expanded therapeutic applications and unlocking the full clinical potential of Schisandra chinensis in disease prevention and treatment.
format Article
id doaj-art-a1b6439841804ee19e355ac16fbf8dd8
institution DOAJ
issn 1749-8546
language English
publishDate 2025-04-01
publisher BMC
record_format Article
series Chinese Medicine
spelling doaj-art-a1b6439841804ee19e355ac16fbf8dd82025-08-20T03:06:55ZengBMCChinese Medicine1749-85462025-04-0120113410.1186/s13020-025-01096-zA comprehensive review of Schisandra chinensis lignans: pharmacokinetics, pharmacological mechanisms, and future prospects in disease prevention and treatmentDanushiya Ehambarampillai0Murphy Lam Yim Wan1School of Medicine, Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Science and Health, University of PortsmouthDepartment of Laboratory Medicine, Division of Microbiology, Immunology and Glycobiology, Lund UniversityAbstract Lignans derived from Schisandra chinensis have attracted significant attention for their diverse pharmacological activities and clinical potential. This review presents a comprehensive analysis of the pharmacological properties of Schisandra chinensis lignans, including their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, hepatoprotective, antibacterial/viral, antidiabetic and anticancer effects. Their multifaceted mechanisms of action hold promise for therapeutic areas such as cancer, neurodegenerative diseases and metabolic disorders, aligning with urgent clinical needs. Additionally, this review explores the pharmacokinetics of these bioactive compounds, highlighting challenges in their absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion, which impact their bioavailability. Recent advancements in drug delivery systems are discussed, highlighting their potential to enhance therapeutic efficacy in clinical settings. Furthermore, the synergistic effects of combining these lignans with other therapeutic agents are considered a strategy to increase their efficacy. Future research is imperative to identify additional active components and elucidate novel mechanisms of action, paving the way for expanded therapeutic applications and unlocking the full clinical potential of Schisandra chinensis in disease prevention and treatment.https://doi.org/10.1186/s13020-025-01096-zSchisandra chinensisLignansPharmacological propertiesPharmacokineticsMechanism of actionNovel therapeutics
spellingShingle Danushiya Ehambarampillai
Murphy Lam Yim Wan
A comprehensive review of Schisandra chinensis lignans: pharmacokinetics, pharmacological mechanisms, and future prospects in disease prevention and treatment
Chinese Medicine
Schisandra chinensis
Lignans
Pharmacological properties
Pharmacokinetics
Mechanism of action
Novel therapeutics
title A comprehensive review of Schisandra chinensis lignans: pharmacokinetics, pharmacological mechanisms, and future prospects in disease prevention and treatment
title_full A comprehensive review of Schisandra chinensis lignans: pharmacokinetics, pharmacological mechanisms, and future prospects in disease prevention and treatment
title_fullStr A comprehensive review of Schisandra chinensis lignans: pharmacokinetics, pharmacological mechanisms, and future prospects in disease prevention and treatment
title_full_unstemmed A comprehensive review of Schisandra chinensis lignans: pharmacokinetics, pharmacological mechanisms, and future prospects in disease prevention and treatment
title_short A comprehensive review of Schisandra chinensis lignans: pharmacokinetics, pharmacological mechanisms, and future prospects in disease prevention and treatment
title_sort comprehensive review of schisandra chinensis lignans pharmacokinetics pharmacological mechanisms and future prospects in disease prevention and treatment
topic Schisandra chinensis
Lignans
Pharmacological properties
Pharmacokinetics
Mechanism of action
Novel therapeutics
url https://doi.org/10.1186/s13020-025-01096-z
work_keys_str_mv AT danushiyaehambarampillai acomprehensivereviewofschisandrachinensislignanspharmacokineticspharmacologicalmechanismsandfutureprospectsindiseasepreventionandtreatment
AT murphylamyimwan acomprehensivereviewofschisandrachinensislignanspharmacokineticspharmacologicalmechanismsandfutureprospectsindiseasepreventionandtreatment
AT danushiyaehambarampillai comprehensivereviewofschisandrachinensislignanspharmacokineticspharmacologicalmechanismsandfutureprospectsindiseasepreventionandtreatment
AT murphylamyimwan comprehensivereviewofschisandrachinensislignanspharmacokineticspharmacologicalmechanismsandfutureprospectsindiseasepreventionandtreatment