# Salvia coccinea and Apigenin: A Natural Treasure of Lamiaceae in Pharmacological Innovation

## TL;DR

Salvia coccinea and its compound apigenin show promise in treating chronic diseases due to their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial properties.

## Contribution

This review highlights the pharmacological potential of Salvia coccinea and apigenin for developing new pharmaceutical and nutraceutical applications.

## Key findings

- Salvia coccinea and apigenin reduce oxidative stress and tumor cell metastasis through multiple molecular pathways.
- They exhibit antimicrobial activity against various bacterial, viral, and fungal strains.
- Apigenin promotes hypoglycemic effects by improving insulin resistance and regulating key metabolic pathways.

## Abstract

Human health and ever‐increasing disease burden demand the inclusion of traditional medicines in modern healthcare sectors. Phytochemicals extracted from medicinal plants can be utilized to prepare nutritious and quality food products that could offer nutritional and curative benefits. This review highlights the nutritional, phytochemical, and therapeutic profile of
Salvia coccinea
and its bioactive compound i.e., apigenin.
Salvia coccinea
, the urban green, scarlet, lance‐shaped flower, is cultivated in warm climatic conditions from summer to autumn. The micronutrient‐dense (sodium, calcium, potassium, zinc, nitrogen, and copper) leaves can prevent micronutrient‐deficiency disorders among consumers. Furthermore, apigenin along with other bioactive constituents e.g., luteolin, flavonoids, and phenolic acids offer strong antioxidants, anticancer, anti‐inflammatory, antidiabetic, antimicrobial, and anti‐cardiovascular properties. The free radical scavenging potential of
Salvia coccinea
and apigenin is responsible for reduced oxidative stress and tumor cell metastasis modulated through PARP‐cleavage, caspase‐3, ERK, CDK‐1, JAK2/STAT3, Bax/Bcl‐2, AMPK, and Wnt/β‐catenin pathways. They attenuate inflammation‐induced disorders such as cardiovascular and neurological disorders via down‐regulating pro‐inflammatory cytokines (IL‐6, CRP, COX‐2, LPO, TGF‐β1, NF‐κB, and TNF‐α), and pathways (IRAK4, MAPK, JAK/STAT3, TLR4, and ERK). The antimicrobial properties against multiple bacterial, viral, and fungal strains make them effective candidates for alleviating microbial disorders. Furthermore, apigenin and
Salvia coccinea
promote hypoglycemic effect by attenuating α‐amylase activity, cholesterol levels, insulin resistance, DRP1 expression by improving GLUT4, GSK‐3β, AMPK/PI3K/Nrf2, and Akt pathways. Moreover,
Salvia coccinea
regulates wound healing after infection, injury, or surgery, in addition to improving agricultural productivity by reducing rodent attacks.

Salvia coccinea
is rich in bioactive phytochemicals, notably the flavonoid apigenin, offering strong antioxidant, anti‐inflammatory, and antimicrobial effects. By modulating inflammatory and oxidative pathways, it shows potential for managing chronic diseases. This supports its use in developing novel pharmaceutical and nutraceutical applications.