ABSTRACT
Plants are a rich source of lead bioactive compounds, and less than 5% of medicinally important plants have been chemically investigated. Compounds with moderate bioactivities are warranted for their structure–activity relationships studies in order to improve their bioactivities. The field of natural products has generated a significant and growing number of compounds with promising biomedical activities. Medicinal plants have been ignored for discovering new antimicrobial agents though they produce antimicrobial natural products for their survival. The comparison of the structures of all glutathione (S)-transferase-inhibiting natural products reveals the presence of α,β-unsaturated carbonyl group, which is a required pharmacophore for the expression of this bioactivity. Natural products are reported to exhibit a novel mode of action in inhibiting the activity of α-glucosidase. For instance, aegeline, a hydroxyl amide alkaloid, is reported to suppress both blood glucose and plasma triglyceride levels.
