Bioactive Compounds - A New Era of Therapeutic Medicines

Bioactive compounds are secondary metabolites derived from plants. These secondary metabolites are present in plants, functioning in their metabolism and disease-resistance capacity. Herbal bioactive compounds are an emerging topic of research, opening a new sphere in the world of medical research. Since ancient times, these medicinal plants have been employed for the treatment of various diseases and for building up immunity. Herbally derived bioactive compounds are showing a new potential to treat different diseases, even communicable ones, along with certain incurable chronic illnesses like dementia and diabetes, and even promising cancer treatment. Different extraction methods are used, both innovative and conventional, for the isolation and identification of these compounds. Much research has been carried out over the years for the discovery of these compounds and their intervention in different therapeutic diseases. They have different applications in providing different therapeutic agents. For instance, alkaloids serve as chemotherapeutic agents providing treatment for cancer, and flavonoids are used for the management of neurodegenerative diseases. Limonene present in citrus seeds inhibits the growth of metastatic cells, boosting immunity. The presence of quercetin in onions and apples shows antioxidant properties by neutralizing reactive oxygen species. Gingerol present in ginger shows strong anti-inflammatory actions. Green tea, rich in epigallocatechin gallate, can affect several signaling pathways in cell survival and thus show anti-cancer activity. This literature review provides a brief insight into understanding the bioactive compounds derived herbally. Their different extraction processes like liquid-liquid extraction, microwave, chromatographic, and non-chromatographic techniques.