Tannins and Related Compounds from Medicinal Plants of Africa

Abstract

This chapter deals with a general overview and old-new concepts about one of largest and most important plant natural products, namely plant polyphenols (tannins and related compounds). Generally, we will describe their definition, occurrence in plants, basic skeletons, nomenclature (classification), and known pharmacological activities. Moreover, biosynthesis and structural diversity will be considered with an explanation of the main biosynthetic pathways for the main subclasses of this type of polyphenols. Finally, as a main task, this chapter focus on the known and new monomeric and oligomeric tannins isolated from African plants and their pharmacological activity. © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.