Importancia química de Jatropha curcas y sus aplicaciones biológicas, farmacológicas e industriales

introduction: jatropha curcas (euforbiaceae) is a multipurpose tree, an alternative source for biodiesel production, food, feed, fertilizers and in traditional medicine. in recent years, the increasing prevalence of multidrug resistant bacteria and the emergence of strains with reduced susceptibility to antibiotics have led to the search for natural active ingredients to control pests and minimize infections and side effects caused by synthetic substances. objective: to ascertain the chemical importance and the biological, pharmacological and industrial applications of jatropha curcas as well as its toxic effects. methods: a thorough updated review of various studies was conducted to identify the most relevant traits of the main chemical compounds in every part of the plant. additionally, the biological application, the medical benefits, the toxicity and the industrial importance of jatropha curcas were determined. results: jatropha curcas is traditionally used to treat bacterial and fungal infections or febrile diseases, muscle pain or jaundice. it is also used for obtaining new drugs through the identification of active ingredients to eliminate pathogens or inhibit signs and symptoms of human and veterinary diseases. conclusions: among the species with diverse medicinal applications jatropha curcas is one having wide recognition due to its utility for obtaining useful products in the pharmaceutical, agricultural, cosmetic and food industries.