Journal: Frontiers in Pharmacology

Article Title: Pueraria mirifica : a critical review of the ethnobotany, phytochemistry, pharmacology and challenges in standardization and safety

doi: 10.3389/fphar.2026.1820644

Figure Lengend Snippet: Integrative pharmacological framework of Pueraria mirifica . This schematic illustrates the major bioactive constituents of Pueraria mirifica and their reported pharmacological effects. The central panel highlights estrogen receptor (ERα/ERβ) signaling as a key proposed mechanistic pathway. In the bone-related context, Pueraria mirifica is shown to promote osteoblast-mediated bone formation and inhibit osteoclast-mediated bone resorption (indicated by directional arrows), thereby contributing to increased bone density. The right panel summarizes reported pharmacological effects, including breast tissue effects, bone-protective effects, neuroprotective effects, and menopausal symptom relief and anti-aging effects (Created with BioRender.com ).

Article Snippet: P. mirifica ethanol extract , Neuroprotective activity , Castration-induced androgen-deficient Sprague-Dawley rats , Improved spatial learning and memory; restored synaptic plasticity , ( ) .

Techniques:

Journal: Frontiers in Pharmacology

Article Title: Pueraria mirifica : a critical review of the ethnobotany, phytochemistry, pharmacology and challenges in standardization and safety

doi: 10.3389/fphar.2026.1820644

Figure Lengend Snippet: Geographic distribution and evidence levels of Pueraria mirifica in mainland Southeast Asia. The map summarizes the currently available evidence for the geographic distribution of Pueraria mirifica in mainland Southeast Asia. Green circles indicate confirmed occurrences supported by voucher-based or other primary evidence, whereas orange circles indicate literature-based reported occurrences without specimen confirmation. The mapped points are schematic and represent country-level or broad regional evidence rather than exact localities. Thailand represents the principal area of confirmed occurrence, whereas records from Myanmar, Laos, and Vietnam are retained as reported occurrences with lower evidential confidence. Country labels indicate the geographic scope of the currently available evidence. The map is intended to provide a conceptual overview rather than exhaustive occurrence mapping.

Article Snippet: P. mirifica ethanol extract , Neuroprotective activity , Castration-induced androgen-deficient Sprague-Dawley rats , Improved spatial learning and memory; restored synaptic plasticity , ( ) .

Techniques:

Journal: Frontiers in Pharmacology

Article Title: Pueraria mirifica : a critical review of the ethnobotany, phytochemistry, pharmacology and challenges in standardization and safety

doi: 10.3389/fphar.2026.1820644

Figure Lengend Snippet: Morphological characteristics of Pueraria mirifica . (A) Whole-plant habit; (B) leaf morphology; (C) climbing stem and upper leaves; (D) tuberous roots; (E) root system and root crown. Adapted from , Additional file 1: Figure S1, under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).

Article Snippet: P. mirifica ethanol extract , Neuroprotective activity , Castration-induced androgen-deficient Sprague-Dawley rats , Improved spatial learning and memory; restored synaptic plasticity , ( ) .

Techniques:

Journal: Frontiers in Pharmacology

Article Title: Pueraria mirifica : a critical review of the ethnobotany, phytochemistry, pharmacology and challenges in standardization and safety

doi: 10.3389/fphar.2026.1820644

Figure Lengend Snippet: Relative proportions of major phytochemical classes identified from Pueraria mirifica . This pie chart summarizes the relative distribution of the reported secondary metabolites of Pueraria mirifica according to the principal chemical classes summarized in . These classes include benzopyranoids, isoflavones and related glycosides, coumarins, steroids and terpenoids, fatty acids and related derivatives, and volatile constituents. The percentages shown in the chart indicate the relative contribution of each phytochemical class within the currently compiled metabolite dataset.

Article Snippet: P. mirifica ethanol extract , Neuroprotective activity , Castration-induced androgen-deficient Sprague-Dawley rats , Improved spatial learning and memory; restored synaptic plasticity , ( ) .

Techniques:

Journal: Frontiers in Pharmacology

Article Title: Pueraria mirifica : a critical review of the ethnobotany, phytochemistry, pharmacology and challenges in standardization and safety

doi: 10.3389/fphar.2026.1820644

Figure Lengend Snippet: Chemical structures of reported secondary metabolites identified from Pueraria mirifica . Panels (A–D) illustrate representative chemical structures of the reported secondary metabolites isolated or identified from Pueraria mirifica , arranged according to structural classification. The compound numbers correspond directly to the entries summarized in , facilitating cross-reference between the structural figures and the phytochemical inventory presented in the manuscript.

Article Snippet: P. mirifica ethanol extract , Neuroprotective activity , Castration-induced androgen-deficient Sprague-Dawley rats , Improved spatial learning and memory; restored synaptic plasticity , ( ) .

Techniques: Isolation

Journal: Frontiers in Pharmacology

Article Title: Pueraria mirifica : a critical review of the ethnobotany, phytochemistry, pharmacology and challenges in standardization and safety

doi: 10.3389/fphar.2026.1820644

Figure Lengend Snippet: Multi-target pharmacological mechanisms of Pueraria mirifica . This diagram summarizes the major pharmacological effects and target systems. Arrows indicate activation, inhibition, or regulatory relationships. Arrow colors represent different types of regulatory relationships, as indicated in the legend (Created with BioRender.com ).

Article Snippet: P. mirifica ethanol extract , Neuroprotective activity , Castration-induced androgen-deficient Sprague-Dawley rats , Improved spatial learning and memory; restored synaptic plasticity , ( ) .

Techniques: Activation Assay, Inhibition

Journal: Frontiers in Pharmacology

Article Title: Pueraria mirifica : a critical review of the ethnobotany, phytochemistry, pharmacology and challenges in standardization and safety

doi: 10.3389/fphar.2026.1820644

Figure Lengend Snippet: Schematic mechanism of menopause-related osteoporosis and the potential intervention points of Pueraria mirifica . Menopause-associated estrogen deficiency promotes osteoporosis through multiple interconnected pathways, including dysregulation of the OPG/RANKL axis, increased pro-inflammatory cytokine production, elevated oxidative stress, impaired estrogen receptor signaling, reduced osteoblast differentiation and survival, and a shift of bone marrow stromal cells toward adipogenesis rather than osteogenesis. These changes collectively lead to imbalanced bone remodeling, progressive loss of bone mineral density, microarchitectural deterioration, and increased fragility fracture risk. Based on current evidence, Pueraria mirifica may exert protective effects through phytoestrogenic activity and by modulating estrogen receptor signaling, osteoclastogenesis, osteoblast function, oxidative stress, and inflammation. Solid arrows indicate pathogenic progression, whereas dashed arrows indicate proposed or supportive intervention by Pueraria mirifica . Red upward and downward symbols (↑/↓) indicate increase/upregulation and decrease/downregulation, respectively (Created with BioRender.com ).

Article Snippet: P. mirifica ethanol extract , Neuroprotective activity , Castration-induced androgen-deficient Sprague-Dawley rats , Improved spatial learning and memory; restored synaptic plasticity , ( ) .

Techniques: Activity Assay