Journal of Pharmaceutical Care & Health Systems
Open Access

Phytopharmaceuticals and Plant Secondary Metabolites

Osman Khan^{* *}Correspondence: Osman Khan, Department of Pharmacy, Sindh University, Jamshoro, Pakistan, Email:

Author info »

Description

For thousands of years, nature has provided medicinal agents. Medicinal plants have been used to treat disease all across the world for thousands of years. Herbal medicine is founded on the idea that plants contain natural compounds that can help people stay healthy and get better. Pharmaceutical and food businesses employ natural medicines derived from plants, food, or raw materials. Phytopharmaceuticals are herbal medicines that rely on one or more plant components or active elements for their effectiveness. It has been utilized to treat ailments since the dawn of time. Many medical remedies created from plants or components are still based on the ancient knowledge.

Herbal medicine include herbs, herbal materials, herbal preparations, herbal products and plant extract that contain active components such as plant parts, other plant materials, or combinations. Herbs are made up of raw plant material such as leaves, flowers, fruit, seed, and stems. Fresh juices, gums, roots, Stem, essential oils, resins, and dry powders of herbs are all examples of herbal materials. Herbal preparations, which can comprise comminuted or powdered herbal components, as well as extracts, tinctures, and fatty oils of herbal materials, form the foundation for finished herbal medicines. Herbal preparations created from one or more herbs and finally furnished into herbal products. Plant secondary metabolites are unique sources for pharmaceuticals, food additives, tastes, and other industrial values and plants are an essential source for the identification of new medical compounds for medication development. Because of the commercial value of these secondary metabolites, there has been a lot of interest in their production and investigating ways to improve it utilizing tissue culture technologies in recent years. Whole fruits, purees, vegetables, prepackaged fruits, and/or vegetable products and supplements are all sources of Phytopharmaceuticals. They are necessary for the proper functioning of the human body.

The majority of Phytopharmaceuticals act by targeting specific receptors, blocking illness processes, and altering pathogenic life cycles. Plant phytochemical ingredients are divided into two groups based on their roles in basic metabolic processes: primary metabolites and secondary metabolites. Because primary plant metabolites are engaged in basic life functions, they are found in all live cells in some form. Secondary plant metabolites, on the other hand, are products of subsidiary pathways such as the shikimic acid pathway. Plants produce a vast range of Secondary Metabolites (SM), which act as both defense and signal molecules against herbivores, other plants, and microorganisms. SM have a diverse range of biological and pharmacological characteristics.

As a result, some of the plants or compounds isolated from them and continue to be utilized to treat infections, health problems, and diseases. Secondary plant metabolites are a variety of chemical substances produced by plant cells via metabolic routes that are descended from core metabolic processes. Secondary metabolites have been demonstrated to have a variety of biological effects, providing a scientific foundation for the use of herbs in traditional medicine in many ancient cultures. They have antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral properties, and hence can protect plants against infections. Furthermore, they contain crucial UV-absorbing chemicals, preventing major light damage to the leaves. Secondary metabolites have a high antioxidant capacity and can be exploited as a natural source of antioxidants in nutraceutical.

The therapeutic activity of most secondary metabolites is broad, and they interact directly with receptors, cell membranes, and nucleic acids. The secondary metabolites and their classification, phytochemistry, pharmacological activity, and application in modern medicines, which may pave the way for knowledge to identify and isolate the desired pharmacologically active lead compound in drug development. A fundamental metabolism, found in all plants, creates and destroys amino acids, lipids, carbohydrates, and nucleotides. As a result, these synthesis routes are found in all plants and are relatively similar across plant groups.

Conclusion

The secondary metabolism is linked to the primary metabolism because it employs primary metabolism building blocks to make a wide range of specialised chemicals. According to their biosynthetic origins and chemical structures, they are divided into a small number of categories. Phytopharmaceuticals are a promising new area of the pharmaceutical industry that is expected to attract more interest from both domestic and international players. Pharmacology and biochemistry can be used to describe the bioactivities of multi target medicines. As a result, they are reasonable medicines that may be used to treat a various of health problems, diseases, and infections. As a result, knowledge of the pharmacological and toxicological effects, as well as the potential synergistic or antagonistic effects due to the usage of multiple component herbal formulations, may be derived.