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Ritualistic and Medicinal Plants from Marajó-PA Island
Published in Mahendra Rai, Shandesh Bhattarai, Chistiane M. Feitosa, Ethnopharmacology of Wild Plants, 2021
Paulo Wender Portal Gomes, Luiza Helena da Silva Martins, Paulo Weslem Portal Gomes, Emilli Roberta Sousa Pereira, Abraão de Jesus Barbosa Muribeca, Andrea Komesu, Mahendra Rai
According to Thirumurugan et al. (2018), in the aforementioned perspective, secondary metabolites are defined as a set of products or by-products synthesized and stored in plants, for protection against insect attacks, as well as for adaptation to the environment. Figure 14.2 describes the main pathways of the production of secondary metabolites in plants.
Secondary Metabolites from Clerodendrum Infortunatum L.: Their Bioactivities and Health Benefits
Published in Hafiz Ansar Rasul Suleria, Megh R. Goyal, Health Benefits of Secondary Phytocompounds from Plant and Marine Sources, 2021
R. L. Helen, K. Jayesh, S. Syama, M. S. Latha
Plants are natural factories, which form sources of pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, food additives, and pesticides, etc. [59]. These bioactive compounds known as secondary metabolites elicit specific pharmacological or toxicological effects in humans and animals. They possess immense variability in the structure and exhibit diverse biological properties. The secondary metabolites are grouped into phenylpropanoids, terpenoids, and alkaloids based on their biosynthetic origin. About 200,000 secondary metabolites have been estimated in the plant kingdom [29]. Secondary metabolites may serve as pheromones, toxins (ex. Digoxin from Foxglove), and drugs (ex. Quinine from Cinchona, Morphine from Poppy).
Medicinal Plants of the Trans-Himalayas
Published in Raymond Cooper, Jeffrey John Deakin, Natural Products of Silk Road Plants, 2020
Ajay Sharma, Garima Bhardwaj, Pushpender Bhardwaj, Damanjit Singh Cannoo
The cold desert of Trans-Himalaya supports rich biodiversity including many endemic plants, which have long played significant roles in basic health care and many other aspects of daily life of local tribal communities. The cold desert is well known for a range of economically important plants and their products, which provide food, fodder, fibers, and medicine. A variety of novel bioactive substances obtained from Trans-Himalayan medicinal plants show different pharmacological activities in relation to anticancer, anti-ageing, asthmatic, antipyretic, and diuretic properties. Most of the plant species discussed in the present chapter remain in use in the Amchi system of medicine employed by the native population in Ladakh, although many plants are yet to be phytochemically and pharmacologically examined by modern science. There is therefore a tremendous scope for investigation of secondary metabolites, which could eventually lead to the discovery of a range of novel drugs.
Biological activities of Viscum tuberculatum aqueous leaf extract
Published in Pharmaceutical Biology, 2023
Abraham Yirgu, Yalemtsehay Mekonnen, Amelework Eyado, Alessia Staropoli, Francesco Vinale
V. tuberculatum is one of the most widely distributed mistletoes used in the treatment of various health ailments. Understanding the limitation of data on the haematology and pathology of experimental mice, this study provides the first scientific report on the antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory activities of the aqueous V. tuberculatum collected from Teclea nobilis in Ethiopia. The identified secondary metabolites are, in part, responsible for the biological activities of the plant. This highlights the importance of using the aqueous extract of V. tuberculatum as an alternative therapeutic source in the future. Therefore, it is necessary to collect and investigate the contributions of pure compounds for their therapeutic potential, including other human and animal diseases. As the existence of several species of parasitic plants, including V. tuberculatum, is threatened by various factors, there is a need for more attention to conserve these species for their ecological and therapeutic benefits in the future.
Osthole exhibits an antitumor effect in retinoblastoma through inhibiting the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway via regulating the hsa_circ_0007534/miR-214-3p axis
Published in Pharmaceutical Biology, 2022
Xiufang Lv, Haojiang Yang, Hui Zhong, Li He, Li Wang
Natural products, containing bioactive secondary metabolites, have beneficial effects on human health. Osthole [7-methoxy-8-(3-methyl-2-butenyl) coumarin, Figure 1A] is a natural coumarin first derived from Cnidium plant. Osthole frequently presents in the mature fruit of Cnidium monnieri Cusson ex Juss (Fructus Cnidii) of the Apiaceae family. Osthole is known to exert anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and anti-allergic activities (Matsuda et al. 2002; Shokoohinia et al. 2018). In addition, osthole is also known to exert therapeutic effects against several cancer types including breast (Park et al. 2019), gastric (Xu et al. 2018), gallbladder (Le Zou et al. 2019) and ovarian cancers (Bae et al. 2021). It has been reported that osthole exerts antitumor effects by inhibiting cell proliferation, inducing cell cycle arrest and apoptosis, and inhibiting the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) process (Wen et al. 2015; Xu et al. 2018; Zhu et al. 2018). The signalling pathways, such as PI3K/AKT and JAK/STAT3, have been reported to be involved in the antitumor process of osthole (Zhu et al. 2018; Le Zou et al. 2019). Although many cancer types were reported to be inhibited by osthole, the effect of osthole on RB still remains unclear.
Himalayan poisonous plants for traditional healings and protection from viral attack: a comprehensive review
Published in Toxin Reviews, 2022
Shriya Pathania, Diksha Pathania, Priyanka Chauhan, Mamta Sharma
Plants differ by degree of toxicity and classify them as extremely, moderately, or minimally toxic. It is difficult to categorize plants regarding their toxicity since this varies with the age of the victim, environment, and stage of plant growth. The degree of toxicity is variable within a plant or plant family. Plant toxins are mainly food components of low molecular weight that may be the product of secondary metabolism or low molecular weight. Products of secondary metabolism are species-specific and responsible for the characteristics of the plant. Some of these secondary metabolite products lead to toxicity to individuals when consumed orally. These substances may be growth inhibitors, neurotoxins, carcinogens, etc. These are classified on the basis of their structural and chemical properties (Singh et al. 2007).