Phytochemicals: a new arsenal in drug discovery

Abstract

In ancient times traditional herbs were used to treat different diseases such as stomach discomfort, toothache, body pain and inflammation, diarrhea, malaria, typhoid, diabetes, and so on. Medicinally important plants are recognized to have chemicals or phytochemicals that could be useful for illness treatment or medication manufacture. These compounds occur naturally in plant parts (leaves, stems, barks, and roots) and are referred to as secondary metabolites because, like primary metabolites, they are synthesized to protect the plant rather than for growth. Fortunately for humans, the majority of these secondary metabolites have therapeutic properties that are useful against a variety of diseases and health problems. Resistance to antibiotics is one of the world's most critical health challenges, with numerous infections rapidly gaining resistance to conventional antimicrobials. There is currently no viable therapeutic agent with the ability to reverse antimicrobial resistance, and several leading laboratories are working hard to find new antimicrobials. Plant-based chemical compounds have received comparatively little attention in the context of antimicrobial medication development. Natural chemicals have piqued the interest of drug development scientists because of their structural diversity, chemical novelty, abundance, and bioactivity. Cancer is currently a major problem. Despite the numerous interventions available, a huge number of patients die each year as a result of cancer disorders. The rising research direction in healthcare pharmacy is the development of an effective and side-effect-free anticancer medication. Chemical entities found in plants have proven to be particularly promising in this area. Bioactive phytochemicals are preferred because they act differentially on cancer cells while leaving normal cells alone. This review provides an overview of the utility of medicinal plants as well as secondary metabolites of plants as drug sources, the drug discovery process, the efficacy and safety of phytochemicals, current applications, developments in screening technologies, challenges, and future directions.