Introduction: Dammarane triterpenoids, the main secondary metabolites of Panax ginseng, are very important natural compounds with remarkable biological activity. They could be isolated from the plants of Panax or other genus, as well as through the modifications of certain natural products. This review is a collection of a number of patents (2005 - 2014) that describe the dammarane triterpenoids for therapeutic or preventive uses on numerous common diseases.
Areas covered: In this review, patents from 2005 to 2014 on chemical structures and treatment of different diseases by dammarane triterpenoids have been summarized. The SciFinder and the World Intellectual Property Organisation databases have been used as main sources for the search.
Expert opinion: In the last decade, over 90 patents concerning dammarane derivatives for pharmaceutical have been published. These types of compounds could be used as agents for prevention and treatment of various kinds of diseases, such as cancer, diabetes mellitus and metabolic syndrome, hyperlipidemia, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease, aging, neurodegenerative disease, bone disease, liver disease, kidney disease, gastrointestinal disease, depression-type mental illness and skin aging. Rare plants, except for Panax genus, which contain dammarane triterpenoids should be studied extensively. In addition, more dammarane triterpenoids with good biological activity, especially the aglycones possessing novel side chain, should be prepared using chemical modification. Finally, pharmacological effects of dammarane triterpenoids should be further studied.
Keywords: Panax; dammarane; side chain; triterpenoid.