The dawn of the era of bioactive compounds

Abstract

Microbes and plants are a major source of naturally occurring compounds. However, a few of them especially the secondary metabolites are among those termed as bioactive compounds. These bioactive compounds have unique biological activities, which can be assigned to unique chemical structures, uncommon chemical groups and structural elements. Due to these specific properties, bioactive compounds have been exploited for diverse biotechnological applications. These compounds have strong flavours and odours with usage as antibacterials and for antineoplastic, anticancer and antiviral activities. A few strategies to enhance their production and efficacy involve metabolic engineering of the process through the use of tools such as molecular biology, nanotechnology, bioinformatics, etc.