Water chestnut: prospects of use in medical and pharmaceutical practice

Representatives of the genus Trapa (water chestnut, water caltrop, devil's nut, chilim) are relict annual aquatic plants belonging to family Lythraceae. This plant has been introduced into culture in different countries of the world and has been used for food purposes since ancient times. The application of water chestnut in herbal medicine is promising. An analysis of the literature data has shown the possibility of medical use such parts of the plant as leaves, roots, fruit kernels, but especially great importance is given to the fruit rind. Water chestnut exhibits various types of pharmacological activity such as antioxidant, hepatoprotective, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, antifungal, antibacterial effects. A considerable number of studies prove the hypoglycemic activity of different parts of the plant and the possibility of using it as a dietary supplement for natural therapy of hyperglycemia or as a drug for diabetes mellitus. The potential of the plant in the treatment of infertility is presented by reducing the level of glycation end products with the application of water chestnut fruit shell extract. The antimicrobial potential of water chestnut against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, pathogenic fungal species of Candida genus was demonstrated, which confirms the possibility of using this plant against microbial infections. A number of researchers attribute the antiproliferative effect of the plant to phenolic compounds. The effectiveness of extracts and isolated groups of substances from various parts of Trapa sp. against colon cancer, breast cancer, cervical cancer, human hepatocellular carcinoma, gastric adenocarcinoma, and glioma has been shown. This review analyzes data from 43 Russian and foreign literature sources devoted to the analysis of the possibilities of using Trapa natans, as well as its subspecies, in medicine and pharmacy. All sources are hosted in the open database of eLibrary and PubMed. This review will help to assess the prospects for further study of representatives of the genus Trapa as a source of valuable biologically active substances and its therapeutic potential.