Medicinal Plant Research 2024, Vol.14, No.4, 180-195 http://hortherbpublisher.com/index.php/mpr 182 Relevant statistics shown that, as of 2019, among the 9,985 varieties of proprietary Chinese medicines that have been already on the market, 220 of them contained Eucommia eucommia, which were mainly used in the fields of internal medicine, orthopedics, gynecology, ophthalmology and surgery (Li et al., 2021). Historical records highlight its use in managing conditions such as hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, obesity, sexual dysfunction, osteoporosis, Alzheimer's disease, aging, lupus-like syndrome, and immunoregulation (He et al., 2014; Wang et al., 2019a). For example, studies have found that Eucommia ulmoides extracts can alleviate the damage caused by hypertension by regulating blood pressure, improving kidney function, and reducing the levels of inflammatory factors. Specifically, by modulating the gut microbiota, Eucommia ulmoides extracts can enrich bacterial strains with antihypertensive effects, such as Parabacteroides, suggesting that Eucommia ulmoides exerts its antihypertensive effects through the regulation of gut microbiota (Yan et al., 2022). Eucommia ulmoides cortex extract inhibited palmitateinduced endoplasmic reticulum stress, reducing hepatic lipid accumulation through secretion of apolipoprotein B and associated triglycerides and cholesterol in hepatocytes (Lee et al., 2013). Eucommia ulmoides leaves extract may partly ameliorate hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia with type 2 diabetes through increasing glycolysis, suppressing gluconeogenesis and the biosynthesis of fatty acid and cholesterol in the liver (Park et al., 2006). In addition, another research has revealed that the extracts of Eucommia ulmoides male flower ameliorated AD-like pathology in zebrafish possibly by inhibiting excessive autophagy and the abnormal expressions of ache and slc6a3genes (Sun et al., 2023). Additionally, Eucommia ulmoides has been employed to alleviate lumbar pain, knee pain, osteoporosis, hepatoprotection, paralysis, intestinal hemorrhages, vaginal bleeding, abortion, spermatorrhea, and foot fungus (Huang et al., 2021). For instance, E. ulmoides leaf extract may have curative properties for bone mineral density and body mass index in ovariectomy rats, and could provide an alternative therapy for the prevention of both postmenopausal osteoporosis and obesity (Zhang et al., 2012). Moreover, 5-(hydroxymethyl)-2-furaldehyde, isolated fromEucommia ulmoides Oliver Bark, not only inhibited the formation of adipose cells obviously, but also enhanced the osteoblastogenesis (Tan et al., 2014). The plant's extracts and active components have shown significant therapeutic effects, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, anti-fatigue, anti-aging, anti-cancer, and immunoregulatory activities. 2.2 Non-medicinal uses in various cultures Beyond its medicinal applications, Eucommia ulmoides has found various non-medicinal uses across different cultures. In traditional Chinese practices, the plant's latex, obtained by tearing its leaves, bark, and fruit, has been used for its unique properties (Huang et al., 2021). Compared with natural rubber, the chemical structure of Eucommia ulmoides rubber is trans-1, 4-polyisoprene, the structure is more regular to crystallize easyly, and has the double characteristics of plastic and rubber (Wei et al., 2021). Therefore, it has been developed for a variety of innovative applications, such as a thermoplastic material, thermoelastic shape memory material (Kang et al., 2022), vibrationand sound-absorbing materials (Su et al., 2022). It not only has enriched the research field of materials science, but also promoted the application and development of gutta-percha in textile, aerospace, transportation, sports and construction (Wang et al., 2019a; Yan et al., 2024). Furthermore, the bioactive chemicals extracted from different parts of the plant, such as leaves, seeds, bark, and staminate flowers, are widely used as raw materials for food, powdery extracts and tinctures (Zhu and Sun, 2018; Ding et al., 2020). For instance, Eucommia ulmoides leaf superfine powder was used as an additive in the fermentation of glutinous rice (Semen Oryzae Glutinosae), could increase the contents of flavonoids, free amino acids, polyphenols and polysaccharides of sweet rice wine, and enhance its antioxidant activity (Ren et al., 2022). As a feed additive, it could increase the n-3 fatty acids content and decrease the n-6: n-3 PUFA ratio in egg yolk without affecting laying performance or egg quality (Feng et al., 2023). In flower preservation, pretreated with aqueous solution of Ag-NPs, synthesized with the leaf extract of Eucommia ulmoides, could effectively reduced bacteria-induced xylem blockage of cut tree peony, resulting in improved water uptake, extended vase life, and enhanced postharvest quality (Ma et al., 2023).
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