has been studied for almost two centuries now, with the first paper exploring the phytochemistry of the plant published in 1860. Almost all contemporary studies focus on the biotechnological advances of including its utilization as a natural alternative in the cosmetic, food, biofuel, and healthcare industry, with a special focus on its therapeutic uses. This literature review critically investigates the significance and applications of secondary metabolites extracted from the plant and presses on the biotechnological approaches to improve its utilization. is home to many industrially and medicinally important phytochemicals, the majority of which belong to phenolics, sterols, and triterpenoids. Other important compounds include 5-hydroxymethylfurfural, isohomoarbutin, and methyl salicylate (the only essential oil of the plant). is the characteristic phytochemical of the plant. This review focuses on the phytochemistry of and digs into their chemical structures and attributes. It further discusses the challenges of working with including its alarming conservation status, problems with cultivation, and research and development issues. This review concludes with recommendations based on biotechnology, bioinformatics, and their crucial interface.

Heckel (Clusiaceae) is a tree indigenous to West and Central Africa. All plant parts, but especially the seeds, are of value in local folklore medicine. is used in treatment of numerous diseases, including gastric disorders, bronchial diseases, fever, malaria and is used to induce a stimulating and aphrodisiac effect. The plant is now attracting considerable interest as a possible source of pharmaceutically important drugs. Several different classes of compounds such as biflavonoids, benzophenones, benzofurans, benzopyran, vitamin E derivatives, xanthones, and phytosterols, have been isolated from , of which many appears to be found only in this species, such as garcinianin (found in seeds and roots), kolanone (fruit pulp, seeds, roots), gakolanone (stem bark), garcinoic acid, garcinal (both in seeds), garcifuran A and B, and garcipyran (all in roots). They showed a wide range of pharmacological activities (e.g. analgesic, anticancer, antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory, antimalarial, antimicrobial, hepatoprotective and neuroprotective effects), though this has only been confirmed in animal models. Kolaviron is the most studied compound and is perceived by many studies as the active principle of . However, its research is associated with significant flaws (e.g. too high doses tested, inappropriate positive control). Garcinol has been tested under better conditions and is perhaps showing more promising results and should attract deeper research interest (especially in the area of anticancer, antimicrobial, and neuroprotective activity). Human clinical trials and mechanism-of-action studies must be carried out to verify whether any of the compounds present in may be used as a lead in the drug development.

L. has been widely used in the treatment and prevention of numerous diseases in traditional systems of medicine around the world, such as nervous, gastrointestinal systems diseases and inflammation. In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), its rhizomes are frequently used to treat liver disease, stomach pain, breast tenderness, dysmenorrheal and menstrual irregularities. The review is conducted to summarize comprehensively the plant's vernacular names, distribution, phytochemistry, pharmacology, toxicology and analytical methods, along with the data mining for TCM prescriptions containing . Herein, 552 compounds isolated or identified from were systematically collated and classified, concerning monoterpenoids, sesquiterpenoids, flavonoids, phenylpropanoids, phenolics and phenolic glycosides, triterpenoids and steroids, diterpenoids, quinonoids, alkaloids, saccharides and others. Their pharmacological effects on the digestive system, nervous system, gynecological diseases, and other bioactivities like antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, insect repellent, anti-microbial activity, etc. were summarized accordingly. Moreover, except for the data mining on the compatibility of in TCM, the separation, identification and analytical methods of compositions were also systematically summarized, and constituents of the essential oils from different regions were re-analyzed using multivariate statistical analysis. In addition, the toxicological study progresses on revealed the safety property of this herb. This review is designed to serve as a scientific basis and theoretical reference for further exploration into the clinical use and scientific research of .

Strigolactones (SLs) are a unique and novel class of phytohormones that regulate numerous processes of growth and development in plants. Besides their endogenous functions as hormones, SLs are exuded by plant roots to stimulate critical interactions with symbiotic fungi but can also be exploited by parasitic plants to trigger their seed germination. In the past decade, since their discovery as phytohormones, rapid progress has been made in understanding the SL biosynthesis and signaling pathway. Of particular interest are the diversification of natural SLs and their exact mode of perception, selectivity, and hydrolysis by their dedicated receptors in plants. Here we provide an overview of the emerging field of SL perception with a focus on the diversity of canonical, non-canonical, and synthetic SL probes. Moreover, this review offers useful structural insights into SL perception, the precise molecular adaptations that define receptor-ligand specificities, and the mechanisms of SL hydrolysis and its attenuation by downstream signaling components.

Viral infections have always been the main global health challenge, as several potentially lethal viruses, including the hepatitis virus, herpes virus, and influenza virus, have affected human health for decades. Unfortunately, most licensed antiviral drugs are characterized by many adverse reactions and, in the long-term therapy, also develop viral resistance; for these reasons, researchers have focused their attention on investigating potential antiviral molecules from plants. Natural resources indeed offer a variety of specialized therapeutic metabolites that have been demonstrated to inhibit viral entry into the host cells and replication through the regulation of viral absorption, cell receptor binding, and competition for the activation of intracellular signaling pathways. Many active phytochemicals, including flavonoids, lignans, terpenoids, coumarins, saponins, alkaloids, etc., have been identified as potential candidates for preventing and treating viral infections. Using a systematic approach, this review summarises the knowledge obtained to date on the in vivo antiviral activity of specialized metabolites extracted from plant matrices by focusing on their mechanism of action.

The rapid increase in global population and shrinkage of agricultural land necessitates the use of cost-effective renewable sources as alternative to excessive resource-demanding agricultural crops. Microalgae seem to be a potential substitute as it rapidly produces large biomass that can serve as a good source of various functional ingredients that are not produced/synthesized inside the human body and high-value nonessential bioactive compounds. Microalgae-derived bioactive metabolites possess various bioactivities including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, anti-carcinogenic, anti-hypertensive, anti-lipidemic, and anti-diabetic activities, thereof rapidly elevating their demand as interesting option in pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals and functional foods industries for developing new products. However, their utilization in these sectors has been limited. This demands more research to explore the functionality of microalgae derived functional ingredients. Therefore, in this review, we intended to furnish up-to-date knowledge on prospects of bioactive metabolites from microalgae, their bioactivities related to health, the process of microalgae cultivation and harvesting, extraction and purification of bioactive metabolites, role as dietary supplements or functional food, their commercial applications in nutritional and pharmaceutical industries and the challenges in this area of research.

Macroalgae have been recently used for different applications in the food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industry since they do not compete for land and freshwater against other resources. Moreover, they have been highlighted as a potential source of bioactive compounds. Red algae (Rhodophyta) are the largest group of seaweeds, including around 6000 different species, thus it can be hypothesized that they are a potential source of bioactive compounds. Sulfated polysaccharides, mainly agar and carrageenans, are the most relevant and exploited compounds of red algae. Other potential molecules are essential fatty acids, phycobiliproteins, vitamins, minerals, and other secondary metabolites. All these compounds have been demonstrated to exert several biological activities, among which antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antitumor, and antimicrobial properties can be highlighted. Nevertheless, these properties need to be further tested on in vivo experiments and go in-depth in the study of the mechanism of action of the specific molecules and the understanding of the structure-activity relation. At last, the extraction technologies are essential for the correct isolation of the molecules, in a cost-effective way, to facilitate the scale-up of the processes and their further application by the industry. This manuscript is aimed at describing the fundamental composition of red algae and their most studied biological properties to pave the way to the utilization of this underused resource.

Microalgae are recognized as cell factories enriched with biochemicals suitable as feedstock for bio-energy, food, feed, pharmaceuticals, and nutraceuticals applications. The industrial application of microalgae is challenging due to hurdles associated with mass cultivation and biomass recovery. The scale-up production of microalgal biomass in freshwater is not a sustainable solution due to the projected increase of freshwater demands in the coming years. Microalgae cultivation in wastewater is encouraged in recent years for sustainable bioeconomy from biorefinery processes. Wastewater from the food industry is a less-toxic growth medium for microalgal biomass production. Traditional wastewater treatment and management processes are expensive; hence it is highly relevant to use low-cost wastewater treatment processes with revenue generation through different products. Microalgae are accepted as potential biocatalysts for the bioremediation of wastewater. Microalgae based purification of wastewater technology could be a universal alternative solution for the recovery of resources from wastewater for low-cost biomass feedstock for industry. This review highlights the importance of microalgal biomass production in food processing wastewater, their characteristics, and different microalgal cultivation methods, followed by nutrient absorption mechanisms. Towards the end of the review, different microalgae biomass harvesting processes with biorefinery products, and void gaps that tend to hinder the biomass production with future perspectives will be intended. Thus, the review could claim to be valuable for sustainable microalgae biomass production for eco-friendly bioproduct conversions.

Algal biomass is a promising feedstock for sustainable production of a range of value-added compounds and products including food, feed, fuel. To further augment the commercial value of algal metabolites, efficient valorization methods and biorefining channels are essential. Algal extracts are ideal sources of biotechnologically viable compounds loaded with anti-microbial, anti-oxidative, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancerous and several therapeutic and restorative properties. Emerging technologies in biomass valorisation tend to reduce the significant cost burden in large scale operations precisely associated with the pre-treatment, downstream processing and waste management processes. In order to enhance the economic feasibility of algal products in the global market, comprehensive extraction of multi-algal product biorefinery is envisaged as an assuring strategy. Algal biorefinery has inspired the technologists with novel prospectives especially in waste recovery, carbon concentration/sequestration and complete utilisation of the value-added products in a sustainable closed-loop methodology. This review critically examines the latest trends in the algal biomass valorisation and the expansive feedstock potentials in a biorefinery perspective. The recent scope dynamics of algal biomass utilisation such as bio-surfactants, oleochemicals, bio-stimulants and carbon mitigation have also been discussed. The existing challenges in algal biomass valorisation, current knowledge gaps and bottlenecks towards commercialisation of algal technologies are discussed. This review is a comprehensive presentation of the road map of algal biomass valorisation techniques towards biorefinery technology. The global market view of the algal products, future research directions and emerging opportunities are reviewed.

In the current global scenario, the world is under a serious dilemma due to the increasing human population, industrialization, and urbanization. The ever-increasing need for fuels and increasing nutritional problems have made a serious concern on the demand for nutrients and renewable and eco-friendly fuel sources. Currently, the use of fossil fuels is creating ecological and economic problems. Microalgae have been considered as a promising candidate for high-value metabolites and alternative renewable energy sources. Microalgae offer several advantages such as rapid growth rate, efficient land utilization, carbon dioxide sequestration, ability to cultivate in wastewater, and most importantly, they do not participate in the food crop versus energy crop dilemma or debate. An efficient microalgal biorefinery system for the production of lipids and subsequent byproduct for nutraceutical applications could well satisfy the need. But, the current microalgal cultivation systems for the production of lipids and nutraceuticals do not offer techno-economic feasibility together with energy and environmental sustainability. This review article has its main focus on the production of lipids and nutraceuticals from microalgae, covering the current strategies used for lipid production and the major high-value metabolites from microalgae and their nutraceutical importance. This review also provides insights on the future strategies for enhanced microalgal lipid production and subsequent utilization of microalgal biomass.

L. (Cucurbitaceae), frequently named balsam apple, southern balsam pear or African pumpkin, is a vegetable with high nutritional value, being mostly used as food in sub-Saharan Africa. It has also been largely used in traditional medicine to treat several diseases, such as malaria fevers and diabetes. As a member of the Cucurbitaceae family, the main constituents are cucurbitane-type triterpenoids, with different oxidation patterns, named cucurbitacins. This review aims at summarizing our contribution to the phytochemical study of and the evaluation of the isolated cucurbitacins and derivatives as multidrug resistance reversers in cancer cells and bacteria. In this way, the selective antiproliferative activity against multidrug resistant cancer cells of cucurbitacins obtained from , their ability as P-glycoprotein inhibitors in cancer cells overexpressing this ABC transporter, as well as efflux pump inhibitors in resistant bacteria strains are reviewed. Moreover, the in vitro antimalarial activity of cucurbitacins and acyl derivatives against the blood and liver-stages of strains, and the in vivo activity of selected compounds is also reviewed. Besides our work, edible and medicinal uses, and other studies mainly reporting the biological activities of extracts, such as antidiabetic, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties are also addressed.

Sea buckthorn (; syn. ) is a thorny shrub or a small tree belonging to the Elaeagnaceae family, native to Eurasia. Sea buckthorn fruit is rich in vitamins and minerals, oils from the seeds and fruit flesh find use in medicine and the cosmetic industry or as nutraceutical supplements. Fruit, leaves and other parts of buckthorn have been used in traditional medicine, especially in China, Tibet, Mongolia, and Central Asia countries, and are a rich source of many bioactive substances. Due to its health-promoting and medicinal properties, the plant has been extensively investigated for several decades, and its phytochemical composition and pharmacological properties are well characterized. The years 2010-2021 brought significant progress in phytochemical research on sea buckthorn. Dozens of new compounds, mainly phenolics, were isolated from this plant. Numerous pharmacological studies were also performed, investigating diverse aspects of the biological activity of different extracts and natural products from sea buckthorn. This review focuses on the progress in research on sea buckthorn specialized metabolites made in this period. Pharmacological studies on sea buckthorn are also discussed. In addition, biosynthetic pathways of the main groups of these compounds have been shortly described.

(L.) Hook. f. & Thomson (Menispermaceae) is a plant indigenous to Africa and South-East Asia. It is widely used in ethnomedicine to alleviate various diseases including hypertension, diabetes, rheumatism, jaundice, inflammation, fever, fractures, scabies, and urinary disorders. A total of 167 phytoconstituents, belonging to 12 different chemical categories, including alkaloids, flavonoids, terpenoids, and phenolic compounds have thus far been isolated from various parts of Numerous in vitro and in vivo investigations have already established the antidiabetic, anticancer, antiparasitic, antimicrobial, immunomodulatory, hepatoprotective, analgesic, antipyretic, antihyperuricemic, and pesticidal activity of this plant, as well as its effects on the cardiac and the central nervous system. Most pharmacological investigations to date have been carried out on plant extracts and fractions. The exact identity of the phytoconstituents responsible for the observed biological effects and their mode of action at the molecular level are yet to be ascertained. Toxicological studies have demonstrated that is relatively safe, although dose-dependent hepatotoxicity is a concern at high doses. This review presents a comprehensive update and analysis on studies related to the ethnomedicinal uses, phytochemistry, pharmacological activity and toxicological profile of . It provides some critical insights into the current scientific knowledge on this plant and its future potential in pharmaceutical research.

Plants generate a wide variety of organic components during their different growth phases. The majority of those compounds have been classified as primary and secondary metabolites. Secondary metabolites are essential in plants' adaptation to new changing environments and in managing several biotic and abiotic stress. It also invests some of its photosynthesized carbon as secondary metabolites to establish a mutual relationship with soil microorganisms in that specific niche. As soil harbors both pathogenic and beneficial microorganisms, it is essential to identify some specific metabolites that can discriminate beneficial and pathogenic ones. Thus, a detailed understanding of metabolite's architectures that interact with beneficial microorganisms could open a new horizon of ecology and agricultural research. Flavonoids are used as classic examples of secondary metabolites in this study to demonstrate recent developments in understanding and realizing how these valuable metabolites can be controlled at different levels. Most of the research was focused on plant flavonoids, which shield the host plant against competitors or predators, as well as having other ecological implications. Thus, in the present review, our goal is to cover a wide range of functional and signalling activities of secondary metabolites especially, flavonoids mediated selective cross-talk between plant and its beneficial soil microbiome. Here, we have summarized recent advances in understanding the interactions between plant species and their rhizosphere microbiomes through root exudates (flavonoids), with a focus on how these exudates facilitate rhizospheric associations.

Triterpenes are naturally occurring derivatives biosynthesized following the isoprene rule of Ruzicka. The triterpenes have been reported to possess a wide range of therapeutic applications including anti-viral properties. In this review, the recent studies (2010-2020) concerning the anti-viral activities of triterpenes have been summarized. The structure activity relationship studies have been described as well as brief biosynthesis of these triterpenes is discussed.

There are approximately 260 known species in the genus , many of which are used in traditional medicine to treat human and other animal ailments in various parts of the world. Being in the Leguminosae (Fabaceae) family, species are rich sources of isoflavonoids. In the past three decades alone, several isoflavonoids originating from have been isolated, and their pharmacological activities have been evaluated against major diseases, such as cancer, inflammation, and diabetes. Despite such extensive research, no recent and comprehensive review of the phytochemistry and pharmacology of isoflavonoids is available. Furthermore, the structural diversity of isoflavonoids in species has rarely been reported. In this review, we comprehensively summarized the structural diversity of isoflavonoids, the methods used for their extraction and isolation protocols, and their pharmacological properties. According to the literature, 154 structurally diverse isoflavonoids were isolated and reported from the various tissues of nine well-known species. Prenylated isoflavonoids and rotenoids were the most dominant subclasses of isoflavonoids reported. Other subclasses of reported isoflavonoids include isoflavans, aglycone isoflavones, glycosylated isoflavones, geranylated isoflavonoids, phenylcoumarins, pterocarpans and coumaronochromenes. Although some isolated molecules showed promising pharmacological properties, such as anticancer, anti-inflammatory, estrogenic, and antibacterial activities, others remained untested. In general, this review highlights the potential of isoflavonoids and could improve their utilization in drug discovery and medicinal use processes.

Propolis is a resinous natural product produced by honeybees using beeswax and plant exudates. The chemical composition of propolis is highly complex, and varies with region and season. This inherent chemical variability presents several challenges to its standardisation and quality control. The present review was aimed at highlighting marker compounds for different types of propolis, produced by the species , from different geographical origins and that display different biological activities, and to discuss strategies for quality control. Over 800 compounds have been reported in the different propolises such as temperate, tropical, birch, Mediterranean, and Pacific propolis; these mainly include alcohols, acids and their esters, benzofuranes, benzopyranes, chalcones, flavonoids and their esters, glycosides (flavonoid and diterpene), glycerol and its esters, lignans, phenylpropanoids, steroids, terpenes and terpenoids. Among these, flavonoids (> 140), terpenes and terpenoids (> 160) were major components. A broad range of biological activities, such as anti-oxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, and anticancer activities, have been ascribed to propolis constituents, as well as the potential of these compounds to be biomarkers. Several analytical techniques, including non-separation and separation methods have been described in the literature for the quality control assessment of propolis. Mass spectrometry coupled with separation methods, followed by chemometric analysis of the data, was found to be a valuable tool for the profiling and classification of propolis samples, including (bio)marker identification. Due to the rampant chemotypic variability, a multiple-marker assessment strategy considering geographical and biological activity marker(s) with chemometric analysis may be a promising approach for propolis quality assessment.

Tsaoko Fructus, the dried ripe fruit of Crevost & Lemarié, is used as both medicinal material and food additive. This review summarized the traditional uses, botany, phytochemistry, and pharmacological progress on Tsaoko Fructus. One classical prescription and the other 11 representative prescriptions containing Tsaoko Fructus were reviewed. The indications of these prescriptions are major in treating spleen and stomach disorders and epidemic febrile diseases including malaria. At least 209 compounds have been isolated and identified from Tsaoko Fructus, most of which belong to terpenoids, phenylpropanoids, and organic acids. Essential oil, crude extract, and some compounds were observed to have pharmacological activities such as anti-biotics, anti-inflammation, antioxidant, mostly via in vitro experiments. However, the mechanism of its medicinal uses remains unclear. This review provides a comprehensive understanding of Tsaoko Fructus, which will be beneficial to exploring the mechanism and potential medicinal applications of Tsaoko Fructus, as well as developing a rational quality control system for Tsaoko Fructus as a medicinal material in the future.

The genus is one of the ethno-medicinally important genera of the Rubiaceae family which has only received a limited scientific attention, despite coming from a pharmacologically and phytochemically important plant family. The genus has found applications in ethnomedical management of diabetes, stomach disorders, inflammations, cardiovascular diseases, epilepsy, wounds, malaria and fever. To unveil knowledge gaps, stimulate research interest and unravel opportunities for drug discovery from the genus , we have carried out an extensive review on its traditional applications, phytochemistry and pharmacology for the first time. Literature on these topics was obtained from Google Scholar, Pubmed and ScienceDirect journal articles published from 1788 to September, 2021. Only articles written in English were reviewed. While several species of used in traditional medicine have not been chemically explored for drug discovery, over a hundred secondary metabolites have so far been identified in few species of the genus, and majority of these chemotaxonomic markers are iridoids. Bioactive extracts and some isolated constituents of species have shown various in vitro and in vivo pharmacological properties including anti-hyperglycemia, anti-inflammatory, anticonvulsant and antimicrobial, and thus, support some of the ethnomedical uses of the plants. For an evidence-informed application of the genus, , in traditional medicine, more ethnobotanical surveys, elaborate in vivo pharmacological assays, in-depth toxicity and holistic phytochemical studies are required to fully exploit more species of the genus prior to future clinical studies. Following documented traditional uses of species, the deliberate cultivation of medicinal plants under this genus is recommended for sustainability in medicinal plant utilization.

The isolation of pure compounds from extracts represents a key step common to all investigations of natural product (NP) research. Isolation methods have gone through a remarkable evolution. Current approaches combine powerful metabolite profiling methods for compounds annotation with omics mining results and/or bioassay for bioactive NPs/biomarkers priorisation. Targeted isolation of prioritized NPs is performed using high-resolution chromatographic methods that closely match those used for analytical profiling. Considerable progress has been made by the introduction of innovative stationary phases providing remarkable selectivity for efficient NPs isolation. Today, efficient separation conditions determined at the analytical scale using high- or ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography can be optimized via HPLC modelling software and efficiently transferred to the semi-preparative scale by chromatographic calculation. This ensures similar selectivity at both the analytical and preparative scales and provides a precise separation prediction. High-resolution conditions at the preparative scale can notably be granted using optimized sample preparation and dry load sample introduction. Monitoring by ultraviolet, mass spectrometry, and or universal systems such as evaporative light scattering detectors and nuclear magnetic resonance allows to precisely guide the isolation or trigger the collection of specific NPs with different structural scaffolds. Such approaches can be applied at different scales depending on the amounts of NPs to be isolated. This review will showcase recent research to highlight both the potential and constraints of using these cutting-edge technologies for the isolation of plant and microorganism metabolites. Several strategies involving their application will be examined and critically discussed.