PHYTOCHEMISTRY, PHARMACOLOGY, NUTRITIONAL COMPOSITION, AND SOCIO-ECONOMIC SIGNIFICANCE OF KOLANUT [Cola nitida (Vent.) Schott & Endl. and Cola acuminata (P. Beauv.) Schott & Endl.] IN NIGERIA AND WEST AFRICA: A SCOPING REVIEW
OLUWAToyin ISHOLA1*, ELIJAH OLUWATOSIN OLOPADE2, BARNABAS OLUWATOMIDE OYEYINKA3, JENNIFER OGOCHUKWU DIKE4, BASIL MBAH5, HASSANAT MUJAHIDAH ABDUL-FATAI6, ADESEWA BALQIS ADEKUNLE7
1. Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Life Sciences, Kaduna State University, Kaduna, Nigeria.
2. Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, Adeleke University, Ede, Nigeria.
3. Biomedical Research Centre, Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria, Ibadan, Nigeria.
4. Department of Medical Laboratory Science, Faculty of Health Sciences, Imo State University, Owerri, Nigeria.
5. Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Physical Sciences, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria.
6. Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, Nigeria.
7. Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Science, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria.
Afr. J Pharm Res Dev; Volume 18(2): 760-783; 2026
ABSTRACT
Kolanut, the seed of Cola species (family Malvaceae), is an economically, culturally, and pharmacologically important crop across Nigeria and West Africa, yet no synthesis has mapped its phytochemical, pharmacological, nutritional, agronomic, and socio-economic evidence base or weighed how consistent that evidence is. This review maps peer-reviewed and grey-literature evidence on kolanut’s phytochemistry, fatty acid profile, pharmacological and toxicological activity, nutritional composition, and socio-economic significance, and classifies this evidence by study type and confidence level. Following the Arksey and O’Malley scoping-review framework and PRISMA-ScR guidance, 82 sources were identified through PubMed, Google Scholar, ScienceDirect, SpringerLink, AJOL, Scopus, and Web of Science. Kolanut consistently contains alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins, phenols, cardiac glycosides, terpenes, steroids, and saponins, with anthraquinones and phlobatannins generally absent. Caffeine, theobromine, catechin, and epicatechin are well characterized. Reported antioxidant activity is frequently comparable to, or exceeds, standard antioxidants. Pharmacological studies document antidiabetic, antimicrobial, antimalarial, and hepatoprotective activity, mostly from rodent and in vitro models, alongside toxicological signals at high or chronic doses. Species-specific fatty acid data remain sparse. Confidence is high for phytochemical and antioxidant findings, moderate for pharmacological findings, and limited for fatty acid composition and dose-response translation to humans. Kolanut is phytochemically rich and socio-economically important, but evidence remains unevenly distributed and largely preclinical. Species-specific fatty acid data, human trials, and dose-response studies are priorities for future research.
Keywords: Cola acuminata, Cola nitida, Kolanut, Phytochemicals, Antioxidant activity, Nigeria.
Email of correspondence: [email protected]
https://doi.org/10.59493/ajopred/2026.2.6 ISSN: 0794-800X (print); 1596-2431 (online)