Family Verbenaceae
Duranta
Duranta repens Linn.
GOLDEN DEW DROP

Scientific names Common names
Duranta repens Linn. Duranta (Tag.)
Duranta plumieri Jacq.  Golden dew drop (Engl.)
Duranta erecta Linn. Golden eardrops (Engl.)
Pigeon berry (Engl.)

Botany
Smooth shrub, growing toi a height of 1-3 meters, with straggling and drooping branches. Leaves are small, obovate-elliptic, 3-6 cm long, with pointed or rounded tips and pointed base; the margins, entire or slightly toothed. Racemes are axillary with terminal panicles, spreading and slender, up to 12 cm long. Flowers are scentless, borne on one side of the rachis, white or lilac-blue with two violet stripes, about 1 cm long and 1 cm wide. Fruit is fleshy, ovoid, orange-yellow and 7-8 mm long.

Distribution
Native of tropical America. A common hedge and fence screen in Baguio.

Constituents and characteristics
• Fruit is slightly poisonous with alkaloid type reactions. Deaths have been reported from ingestion.
• Fruit contains a saponin.
• The bark contains a glucosidal principal; the leaves yield a saponin substance.
• Phytochemical studies report new compounds: cleomisconsin A, hardwickiic acid, 3,13-clerodadien-16, oleic acid plus other known compounds.

Parts used
Leaves and fruits.

Uses
Folkloric
Fruit has been used as febrifuge.
Flowers are believed to be stimulant.
Infusion of leaves and juice of fruit are diuretic.

Studies
Thrombin Inhibitory: Study isolated flavonoids with some compounds showing significant enzyme-inhibitory acitivty against thrombin.
Phytochemical Investigation / Antiviral: The DR extract showed 76% reduction in the viral titer of Hepatitis A. The acitivity may be attributed to the aceteoside or lamiide content which showed high antioxidant activity
Cardiac Depressant: Estimation of Cardiac Depressant Activity of Ten Medicinal Plant Extracts from Pakistan: cardiac depressant effect induced by D repens extract was not dose-dependent, with a 50% negative inotropic effect, 50% negative chronotropic effect and 80% reduction in coronary outflow.
Saponins / Cytotoxicity: Study isolated two new triterpene saponins from the leaves of DRL durantanin IV and V, together with 10 known compounds. The methanol extract and the 2 new compounds 1,2 and E/Z acteoside showed significant cytotoxic activity against a HepG2 cell line.
Antioxidant: (1) Study of the methanol extract of Duranta repens showed radical scavenging activity. (2) Phytochemical screening isolated four new coumarinolignoids, Repenins A-D (1-4) with known coumarinolignoids, cleomiscosin A and durantin A. The compounds showed potent radical scavenging activity.

Toxicity
(1) Fruit is slightly poisonous with alkaloid type reactions. Deaths have been reported from ingestion.
(2) Study of the chloroform soluble fraction of the stem of D. repens showed toxicity with changes in biochemical parameters and abnormalities in liver and renal functions, with degenerative changes on histopath examination of the cellular struction of the liver, heart and kidney.
(3) Duranta erecta Poisoning in Nine Dogs and a Cat: Observed ingestion of fruits and leaves resulted in drowsiness, hyperaesthesia and tetanic seizures with GI manifestations of vominting, diarrhea and bleeding.

Availability
Cultivated for ornamental purposes.


Additional Sources and Suggested Readings
(1)
New Triterpene Saponins from Duranta repens Linn. and Their Cytotoxic Activity /Molecules 2009, 14(5), 1952-1965 / doi:10.3390/molecules14051952
(2)
PHYTOCHEMICAL STUDIES ON DURANTA REPENS LINN AND EHRETIA OBTUSIFOLIA HOCHST
(3)
Thrombin Inhibitory Constituents from Duranta repens / Helvetica Chimica Acta Vol 84 Issue 3, Pages 649 - 655
(4)
Phytochemical Investigation and Antiviral Activity of Duranta repens / Journal of Applied Sciences Research, 3(11): 1426-1433, 2007
(5)
Estimation of Cardiac Depressant Activity of Ten Medicinal Plant Extracts from Pakistan
http://ittm.dtam.moph.go.th/reg/upload/research/H05386/3/$03875.pdf
(6)
Phytochemical investigation and antioxidant activity of Duranta repens / Phytotherapy Research Vol 19 Issue 12, Pages 1071 - 1073 / 10.1002/ptr.1766
(7)
Repenins A–D, four new antioxidative coumarinolignoids from Duranta repens Linn.
/ Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry Letters
Volume 19, Issue 13, 1 July 2009, Pages 3521-3524 / doi:10.1016/j.bmcl.2009.05.006
(8)
Biochemical, Hematological and Histopathological Effects of Duranta repens Stems on Rats / Asian Journal of Biochemistry
Year: 2008 | Volume: 3 | Issue: 6 | Page No.: 366-372 / DOI: 10.3923/ajb.2008.366.372
(9)
Duranta erecta poisoning in nine dogs and a cat / Australian veterinary journal / 2006-Oct; vol 84 (issue 10) : pp 367-70