Revealing the correlation between chemical composition and pharmacological effects of medicinal plants in the Ilex L. genus.

Ilex, a genus of approximately 600 species, holds substantial importance in Traditional Chinese Medicine. Species such as Ilex kudingcha C. J. Tseng, Ilex pubescens, Ilex latifolia Thunb., Ilex cornuta, Ilex rotunda Thunb., and Ilex asprella are widely used. From these plants, numerous triterpenes and their glycosides, flavonoids, and phenylpropanoids have been isolated, and antioxidant, antithrombotic, anti-inflammatory, and antitumor activities have been reported. In this review, the medicinal resources, chemical composition, and pharmacological effects of Ilex are summarized, with a special focus on the correlation between chemical ingredients and biological functions. The structural characteristics of the chemical constituents and their activity relationships are also discussed. Many active compounds, including triterpenoids with lactone rings and various polyphenolic derivatives, have been identified as potential lead compounds for lipid reduction, cardiomyocyte protection, and antioxidation. A foundation for the discovery of drug leads from this genus is thus laid by the present review.