Insights of Natural Isoquinoline Alkaloids in the Management of Trachoma

The neglected tropical disease (NTD), trachoma comprises the infection of eye produced by a pathogenic bacteria known as Chlamydia trachomatis, a sexually transmitted bacterium that leads to ocular infection which ultimately leads to ocular destruction or complete blindness. Around 80-85 million individuals worldwide are infected wherein 60-90 percent of the said infection is detected only in youngsters in several places. Trachoma considerably prevails in rural areas where sanitation and healthcare are the major issues and these are the world’s low-income countries. The epidemiology of the said disease is complex and related to the environmental conditions. This review article focused on the pathophysiology of trachoma and the use of phytochemicals from herbal sources. Herbal remedies are the best way to manage any disease as they are comparatively safer and have fewer side effects. Although there are various conventional treatments including the use of antibiotics like erythromycin, sulphonamides, and azithromycin for the management of said diseases. They have various adverse effects including, abdominal pain, vomiting, and over usage can even lead to permanent blindness. Thus, to avoid these adverse effects the scientific community focused on herbal therapeutics and their secondary metabolites that have a major role in the designing and development of safer therapeutics. This review focused on the isoquinoline alkaloids obtained from medicinal plants that can be used in the development of the newer pharmacophore for the management of trachoma.