A Review of the Occurrence of Non-Alkaloid Constituents in Uncaria Species and Their Structure-Activity Relationships

Abstract

A good understanding of a medicinal plant is based on fundamental knowledge of its chemical constituents and their pharmacological effects. The non-alkaloids constituents isolated from Uncaria species have been increasingly investigated recently. The anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant and anti-cancer properties have been studied in many non-alkaloids constituents isolated from Uncaria species. This paper emphasizes the phytochemical and chemotaxonomic analyses of non-alkaloid constituents isolated from fifteen Uncaria species. Their structural activity-relationships have also been discussed.