Secondary metabolites in Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (MAPs): Potent molecules in nature's Arsenal to fight human diseases

Abstract

Nature, the supreme artist, and scientists have designed almost an infinite range of plant molecular bioactive molecules for drugs operative for the remedy of innumerable human disorders in the biosynthetic laboratory of plants. From 250,000 to 300,000 plant species which exist on Earth, only about 5000 were investigated for chemical compounds with pharmacological and biological activities. More than 25% of pharmaceutical molecules are plant based through sequestration of the novel bioactive compounds. The 200,000 known secondary metabolites with widespread chemical structures are manly categorized into phenolics, terpenoids or terpenes, and steroids and alkaloids. Secondary metabolites perform significant functions in plants including role as signaling molecules, chemical defense mechanism and adaptation, pollination and seed dispersal, protection from predators, herbivores, pathogens, and allelopathic agents. Medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs) are bestowed with both the aromatic and medicinal properties and contain bioactive secondary metabolites with a broad range of pharmacological and therapeutic potentials such as antioxidant, antitumor, anticancer, antiviral, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antiatherosclerotic, antidepressant, antidiabetic, hepatoprotective, antithrombotic, vasoprotective, and immunoprotective effects, cardiovascular improver, memory enhancer, anti-AIDS, anti-Alzheimer's, anti-Parkinson's disease, and anti-cognitive impairment.