Plumeria pudica Jacq. (Apocynaceae): An Updated Review of Bioactive Latex Proteins, Phytochemical Diversity and Pharmacological Potential

Abstract

Plumeria pudica Jacq. is an ornamental lactiferous shrub of the family Apocynaceae, native to Colombia, Venezuela and Panama, whose leaves, flowers, roots, stems and latex are used in traditional medicine for inflammatory, gastrointestinal and infectious conditions. Although earlier reviews summarized its ethnomedicine and general phytochemistry, the species remains underexplored relative to other Plumeria members, and the rapidly growing evidence on its latex protein fraction (LPPp) has never been systematically and critically integrated. The present review provides a species-focused, evidence-graded synthesis of the botany, ethnomedicinal context, phytochemical composition, bioactive latex proteins, pharmacological activities and nanotechnological applications of P. pudica, with a preferred publication window of 2015 to 2026 and inclusion of seminal older studies. The evidence indicates that LPPp, a mixture of cysteine, serine and metalloproteinases, proteinase inhibitors and chitinases, exerts reproducible anti-inflammatory, antinociceptive, antidiarrhoeal, intestinal, periodontal and hepatoprotective effects in experimental models, predominantly through coordinated suppression of myeloperoxidase activity, leukocyte migration, pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-alpha, IL-1beta, IL-6, IFN-gamma, CXCL1) and oxidative tissue damage. Leaf, stem and root extracts rich in phenolics and flavonoids demonstrate antioxidant and antibacterial activities that vary substantially with solvent polarity, whereas silver nanoparticles green-synthesized using P. pudica floral and leaf extracts show larvicidal, antibacterial and cytotoxic properties that should not be conflated with direct extract activity. Major challenges include the absence of bioassay-guided isolation, unexplored molecular targets, scarce pharmacokinetic and toxicological data, and no clinical translation. Future work should integrate proteomic and metabolomic profiling, standardized extracts, mechanistic and in vivo validation, and safety assessment. P. pudica is a credible multi-target candidate for phytopharmaceutical and green-nanomedicine development, but current evidence remains preclinical.