Phytochemistry of pharmacologically important medicinal plants – A Review

Abstract

Plant derived substances have recently become of great interest owing to their versatile applications. Medicinal plants are the richest bioresource of drugs of traditional systems of medicine, modern medicines, nutraceuticals, food supplements, folk medicines, pharmaceutical intermediates and chemical entities for synthetic drugs. The beneficial medicinal effects of plant materials typically result from the combinations of secondary products present in the plant. The medicinal actions of plants are unique to particular plant species or groups are consistent with this concept as the combinations of secondary products in a particular plant are often taxonomically distinct. Ecological function of secondary products may have some bearing on potential medicinal effects for humans and the secondary products involved in plant defense through cytotoxicity toward microbial pathogens could prove useful as antimicrobial medicines in humans, if not too toxic. In contrast to synthetic pharmaceuticals based upon single chemicals, many phytomedicines exert their beneficial effects through the additive or synergistic action of several chemical compounds acting at single or multiple target sites associated with a physiological process. The present review is focused on phytochemistry and pharmacological importance of medicinal plants.

Dissecting the Antimicrobial Composition of Honey

“…Classed as an oxidative biocide, it removes electrons from chemical structures, resulting in oxidation [63]. The oxidation action causes inhibition of microbial growth and irreversible DNA damage through the generation of hydroxyl radicals [3,64,65]. The generation of hydroxyl radicals in honey is produced in a Fenton-like reaction through hydrogen peroxide.…”

“…Honey has been established as an effective antimicrobial and antioxidant for millennia [1]. Used mainly for the treatment of surface wounds, burns and inflammation, it has since been developed into medical treatments in the form of medical grade honey [2,3]. Despite this, the initial interest into honey as an antimicrobial therapy was drastically diminished upon the discovery and implementation of antibiotics.…”

Clinical Significance of Manuka and Medical-Grade Honey for Antibiotic-Resistant Infections: A Systematic Review

“…These components both have different mechanisms of action. Hydrogen peroxide causes DNA damage and, although the action of bee defensin-1 has not been fully elucidated, other defensin proteins disrupt the cell membranes [55,56], suggesting that these, or a currently unknown component of Manuka honey, causes the antimicrobial affect against S. aureus. Therefore, it could be suggested that MGO does not directly impact S. aureus, resulting in the UMF classification being irrelevant to this pathogen.…”

Phytochemical Evaluation and Molecular Docking of Bioactive Compounds from the Roots of Dictyandra arborescens (Welw.) against Plasmodium berghei protein Targets

“…These chemical compounds equally contribute to plants' aroma, fragrance, colour and flavour. 5 The medicinal property for which a particular plant is known is linked to the fact that a combination of these secondary metabolites exerts their activities in a synergistic manner. 6 It is believed that traditional medicinal plants and natural products are important sources of novel chemical substances with possible therapeutic values.…”