Alkamides: Multifunctional Bioactive Agents in Spilanthes spp.

Abstract

Plant bioactives have always been a source of many valuable medicines. Alkamides are a class of pseudoalkalloidbioactives that are distributed among 33 medicinal plant families including Asteraceae (Compositeae). Genus SpilanthesofAsteraceae family is a storehouse of various potent alkamides. Spilanthol is considered as a key compound with its maximum concentration in the flower heads. Alkamides are pungent in taste and show analgesic and anaesthetic properties. These have been reported to exhibit significant larvicidal/insecticidal, antimicrobial, aphrodisiac, antimutagenic, anti-inflammatory and immune-enhancing pharmacological activities. Also, transdermal and transmucosalbehaviour of spilanthol has been well documented. Therefore, alkamide content make this genus a promising medicinal plant with several biological and pharmacological activities. Thus, this review presents an overview of different alkamides in Spilanthes with an emphasis on their properties, distribution, pharmacological aspects and mode of administration.