<i>Aquilaria</i> Species (Thymelaeaceae) Distribution, Volatile and Non-Volatile Phytochemicals, Pharmacological Uses, Agarwood Grading System, and Induction Methods
Yichen Wang,
Mubasher Hussain,
Zhenbin Jiang,
Zhaohong Wang,
Jing Gao,
Fengxian Ye,
Runqian Mao,
He Li
Affiliations
Yichen Wang
College of Life Science and Biopharmaceuticals, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou 510006, China
Mubasher Hussain
Guangdong Key Laboratory of Animal Conservation and Resource Utilization, Guangdong Public Laboratory of Wild Animal Conservation and Utilization, Guangdong Engineering Research Center for Mineral Oil Pesticides, Institute of Zoology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510260, China
Zhenbin Jiang
Guangdong Xialiang Health Regimen Agricultural Technology Co., Ltd., Guangzhou 510445, China
Zhaohong Wang
Guangdong Key Laboratory of Animal Conservation and Resource Utilization, Guangdong Public Laboratory of Wild Animal Conservation and Utilization, Guangdong Engineering Research Center for Mineral Oil Pesticides, Institute of Zoology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510260, China
Jing Gao
Guangdong Key Laboratory of Animal Conservation and Resource Utilization, Guangdong Public Laboratory of Wild Animal Conservation and Utilization, Guangdong Engineering Research Center for Mineral Oil Pesticides, Institute of Zoology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510260, China
Fengxian Ye
Guangdong Key Laboratory of Animal Conservation and Resource Utilization, Guangdong Public Laboratory of Wild Animal Conservation and Utilization, Guangdong Engineering Research Center for Mineral Oil Pesticides, Institute of Zoology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510260, China
Runqian Mao
Guangdong Key Laboratory of Animal Conservation and Resource Utilization, Guangdong Public Laboratory of Wild Animal Conservation and Utilization, Guangdong Engineering Research Center for Mineral Oil Pesticides, Institute of Zoology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510260, China
He Li
College of Life Science and Biopharmaceuticals, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou 510006, China
Agarwood is a highly valuable fragrant wood of Aquilaria spp. (Thymelaeaceae) which has been widely utilized in traditional medicine, religious rites, and cultural activities. This study summarizes a review on the identification of Aquilaria cultivars, volatile and non-volatile phytochemicals, pharmacological uses, and agarwood grading system to determine its quality, and different agarwood induction methods. Due to the highly demanding and depleted natural resources, the research on agarwood is still insufficient, and it has broad research and development prospects in many industries. However, due to the significant scientific nature of agarwood application, developing high-quality products and drugs from agarwood have become highly important, while no one has discussed in detail the phytochemicals uses and provided a summary until now. The main phytochemicals of agarwood include terpenoids, dominated by sesquiterpenes. For centuries, terpenoids have been used in traditional Chinese medicine and have been shown to possess various pharmacological properties, including bacteriostatic, antibacterial, sedation, analgesia, anti-inflammation, anti-asthmatic, hypoglycemic, antidepressant, and many others. Alongside biological activity screening, phytochemical advances and pharmacological research have also made certain progress. Therefore, this review discusses the research progress of agarwood in recent years and provides a reference basis for further study of Aquilaria plants and agarwood.