Anti-inflammatory perspectives of diverse natural resources

Abstract

Inflammation is a part of the complex biological response of vascular tissues to harmful stimuli, such as pathogens, damaged cells, or irritants. It is characterized by redness, swollen joints, joint pain, stiffness, and loss of joint function. Inflammation is currently treated by NSAIDs. Unfortunately, these drugs cause an increased risk of blood clots resulting in heart attacks and strokes. Therefore, the developments of potent anti-inflammatory drugs from natural products are now under consideration. Natural products are a rich source for the discovery of new drugs because of their chemical diversity. A natural product from medicinal plants plays a major role to cure many diseases associated with inflammation. The conventional drug available in the market to treat inflammation produces various side effects. Due to these side effects, there is a need for the search for newer drugs with fewer or no side effects. There are hundreds of phytoconstituents reported to have many pharmacological activities although most of these reports are of academic interest and very few find an entry in clinical trials. The present review is directed towards the compilation of data on promising phytochemicals from herbal plants that have been tested in inflammatory models using modern scientific systems.