New Compounds from Terrestrial Plants: A Perspective View

Abstract

In an era where the search for innovative drug leads faces challenges, our study pivots towards exploring the untapped potential of plant-derived compounds, focusing on the period of 2021 to 2022. We assess the classes of compounds these new structures belong to; the plants and families these compounds belong to; and the degree of novelty of the compound compared with already-known structures. The review was conducted following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematics Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement checklist for the guided reporting of systematic reviews. A total of 464 articles were selected for the new compounds of natural origin survey. We included 117 complete articles in this review and reported approximately 109 new structures elucidated during the years 2021 and 2022. Many of the compounds showed small structural variations in relation to already-known molecules. For some, however, this small modification was decisive for the biological activity reported, demonstrating the importance of descriptive phytochemical studies.