A Comprehensive Review of Agrimoniin

Plant tannins are a unique class of polyphenols with relatively high molecular weight. Within the ellagitannins group, agrimoniin - dimeric ellagitannin is one of the most representative compounds found in many plant materials belonging to the Rosaceae family. Agrimoniin was isolated for the first time in 1982 from roots of Agrimonia pilosa Ledeb. (Rosaceae), a plant traditionally used in Japan and China as an antidiarrheal, hemostatic and antiparasitic agent. Agrimoniin is a constituent of medicinal plants, which are often applied orally in the form of infusions, decoctions or tinctures. It is also present in commonly consumed food products such as strawberries and raspberries. It is metabolized by human gut microbiota to a series of small molecular weight urolithins with proven anti-inflammatory and anticancer in vivo and in vitro bioactivities. The compound has received widespread interest due to some interesting biological effects and therapeutic activities, which are elaborated in the present review. Additionally, an overview of the techniques used for the analysis, isolation, and separation of agrimoniin from the practical perspective is presented