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Family Melastomataceae
Glory bush
Tibouchina urvilleana (DC.) Cogn.
PRINCESS FLOWER

Scientific names Common names
Lasiandra urvilleana DC. Glory bush (Engl.)
Tibouchina urvilleana (DC.) Cogn. Glory flower (Engl.)
  Lasiandra (Engl.)
  Princess flower (Engl.)
  Purple glory tree (Engl.)
Tibouchina urvilleana (DC.) Cogn. is an accepted name. The Plant List

Other vernacular names
BRAZIL: Buscopam-de-casa.
FRENCH: Balmane, Doudoul, Griffe du diable, Pensée malgache.

Botany
Glory bush is a shrub growing to a height of 4 meters, with 4-angled, reddish and rough branches. Leaves are simple, opposite, 5-nerved, ovate or oblong-ovate, up to10 centimeters long and 4 centimeters wide, hairy above and smooth below, with finely serrate margins. Flowers are showy, with rosy purple to violet petals, up to 5 centimeters long. Stamens are 10, purple. Fruit is a capsule.

Distribution
- Recently introduced in Baguio.
- Native to Brazil.

Constituents
- Leaves have yielded flavonol glycosides as quercetin 3-O-rhamnopyranoside and quercetin 3-O-ß-D-glucopyranoside.
- Stems have yielded hydrolyzable tannin oligomers, mainly ellegatannins known as nobotanins.
- Flowers have yielded anthocyanins, malvidin and peonidin derivatives.

- Hexane extract of leaves yielded glutinol (1), taraxerol (2), a mixture of α- and β-amyrins (3, 4), β-sitosterol, and ursolic (5) and oleanolic (6) acids as a mixture. An ethanolic extract yielded only ß-sitosterol. Methanol extract yielded β-sitosteryl β-D- glucopyranoside, the flavonoids avicularin (7) and hispidulin 7-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (8) [16], and two mixtures, one constituted of asiatic and arjunolic acids (9 and 10) and the other one of quadranoside IV (11) and arjun- glucoside II (12). (See study below) (1)
- Leaf extract yielded three new hydrolyzable tannins, nobotanins L, M and N. (5)
- Major pigment found in the flower was identified as 3-O-[6-O-(E)-p-coumaroyl-ß-D-glucopyranosyl]-5-O-(2--acetyl-ß-D-xylopyranosyl) malvidin. (9)

Properties
- Studies have suggested antioxidant, antileishmanial, PARG-inhibitor, phytoremediative properties.


Parts used
Leaves, stems, flowers.

Uses

Folkloric
- No reported folkloric medicinal use in the Philippines.
- In Brazil, infusion used for stomach problems.


Studies
Secondary Metabolites / Leaves and Stems / Known Activities of Metabolites:
Chemical study of leaves and stems of T. urvilleana yielded ten triterpenes, two flavonoids, two sterols, and NH4Cl. Compound 10 (arjunolic acid) has been considered antioxidant, antifungal, antibacterial, anticholinesterase, antiasthmatic, and anti-diabetic. ß-amyrin has also shown antidiabetic potential. Glutinol has shown cytotoxicity against four human cancer lines and also shown anti-inflammatory activity. (1)
Malvidin / Anthocyanin from Flowers: Study isolated an anthocyanin from the purple flower petals of T. urvilleana, identified as malvidin 3-(p-coumaroylglucoside)-5-glucoside. (2)
Anthocyanin Stability Study: Study showed fully formed but unopened bud had the highest amount of total anthocyanin extracted from fresh petals. The ideal suitable storage is in acidic conditions in the dark. Results suggest a potential usage of colored anthocyanins as natural food colourants and shelf life indicator for acidic foods. (4)
Antileishmanial Activity: In vivo study of crude extracts showed antileishmanial activity in the following plants: T. purpurea, A. rohituka, S. chirata, Tibouchina semidecandra and T cordifolia. (6)
PARG Inhibitor / Nobotanin B: Excessive activation of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 (PARP1) leads to NAD+ depletion and cell death during ischemia and other conditions that generate extensive DNA damage. Nobotanin B, extracted from the plant Tibouchina semidecandra Cogn. is a potent PARG inhibitor. (7)
Aluminum Accumulation in Leaves: Study evaluated the differences in characteristics of Al accumulation (i.e., accumulation potential, chemical form, and localization) in three woodly Al accumulators: Symplocos chinensis, Melastoma malabathricum, and Tibouchina urvilleana. Oxalate was partly involved in the internal Al detoxification mechanisms in leaves of all three Al accumulators. The order of Al accumulation potential under hydroponic conditions was SC-MA>TU. (8)

Availability
Wild-crafted.
Seeds in the cybermarket.

Godofredo U. Stuart Jr., M.D.

Updated Dec 2020 / October 2015
August 2014


                                                    PHOTOS / ILLUSTRATIONS
Photos © Godofredo Stuart / StuartXchange

Additional Sources and Suggested Readings
(1)
Triterpenes and other Metabolites from Tibouchina urvilleana / Ana-Lidia Pérez-Castorena / J. Mex. Chem. Soc. 2014, 58(2): pp 218-222
(2)

A Diacylated Anthocyanin from Tibouchina urvilleana Flowers / Norihiko Terahara , Hiroyuki Suzuki , Kenjiro Toki , Harumitsu Kuwano , Norio Saito , Toshio Honda / J. Nat. Prod., 1993, 56 (3), pp 335–340 / DOI: 10.1021/np50093a004
(3)
Ethnopharmacology of Medicinal Plants of the Pantanal Region (Mato Grosso, Brazil)
/ Isanete Geraldini Costa Bieski, Fabrı ́cio Rios Santos, Rafael Melo de Oliveira, Mariano Martinez Espinosa, Miramy Macedo, Ulysses Paulino Albuquerque, and Domingos Tabajara de Oliveira Martins / Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine Volume 2012 / doi:10.1155/2012/272749
(4)
Anthocyanin stability studies in Tibouchina semidecandra L. / O A Janna, A K Khairul, M Maiah / Food Chemistry 101 (2007) 1640-1646
(5)
Tannins and Related Polyphenols of Melastomataceous Plants. VIII.1) Nobotanins L, M and N, Trimeric Hydrolyzable Tannins from Tibouchina semidecandra / Takashi YOSHIDA,* Fumihisa NAKATA, and Takuo OKUDA / Chem. Pharm. Bull. 47(6) 824—827 (1999) Vol. 47, No. 6
(6)
Leishmanicidal Activity of Plant Extracts / Pharmacological Potential of Natural Compounds / Gabriela Hrckova, Samule Velebny
(7)
Poly(ADP-ribose) glycohydrolase mediates oxidative and excitotoxic neuronal death / Weihai Ying, Mary B. Sevigny, Yongmei Chen, and Raymond A. Swanson* / PNAS, October 9, 2001, Vol. 98, No. 21 / 12227–12232 / doi/10.1073/pnas.211202598
(8)
Comparative analysis of aluminum accumulation in leaves of three angiosperm species
/ Maejima, Eriko; Hiradate, Syuntaro; Jansen, Steven; Osaki, Mitsuru; Watanabe, Toshihiro / Botany - Botanique, 92(5): 327-331; 2014-05
(9)
Phenolics and Polyphenoics from Melastomataceae Species / Diana Marcela Ocampo Serna and Jose Hipolito Isaza Martinez, Daniel Jacobo Velasquez et al / Molecules, Oct 2015 / 20(10): pp 17818- 17847 / 10.3390/molecules201017818 / P<OD: 26404220

                                                                          DOI
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α(5)
                                                            List of Understudied Philippine Medicinal Plants

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