Unearthing the Medicinal Properties of Tillandsia recurvata (Ball Moss): A Mini Review

Background: More than half of traditional medicines are of natural origin and research has shown that these are associated with fewer side effects than the synthetic ones, since less than 10% of the 350,000 identified plant species have been exposed to some amount of bioactive screens, it is now the aim of researchers to screen more plants and also identify the active ingredients responsible for detected bioactivities. These we believe may provide the foundation for identifying new drug leads that may prove useful against chronic lifestyle diseases. This review takes a look at the work that has currently been conducted on Tillandsia recurvata commonly known as ball moss which is believed to assist with future research.

Results: The chloroform, methanol and water extracts of ball moss have shown cytotoxicity against several human cancer cell lines and the methanol extract induces apoptosis in some. Further the chloroform extract was shown to reduce angiogenesis and the methanol extract inhibited particular kinases (CSNK2A2, MEK5, GAK, FLT and DRAK1) of which MEK5 and GAK have been implicated in prostate cancer. The same extract was further shown to display promising anti-diabetic properties via a reduction in fasting blood glucose (P<0.05), fructosamine levels (P<0.05), serum CRP and insulin levels when compared to the control mice. Phytochemical screens identified a novel glycoside and several cycloartanes and dicinnamtes; 1,3-di-O-Cinnamoyl-glycerol and (E)-3-(cinnamoyloxy)-2-hydroxypropyl 3-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)acrylate. Further bioactive screens on these isolates showed that cycloartane-3,24,25-triol reduced the viability of prostate PC-3 and DU145 cell lines. This isolate was further shown to inhibit MRCKα kinase implicated in the initiation and progression of prostate cancer.

Conclusions: This review confirms the promising efficacy of the T. recurvata plant and so its worth for further research which may prove useful in the pharmaceutical and nutraceutical industries. Such benefits have already begun with the introduction of the alpha prostate formula, now on the market for improved prostate health.