Plant
secondary metabolites (PSM) are bioactive compounds produced by plants for
protection against predatory organisms and to attract insects for pollination. Recently,
greater attention is being focused on PSM due to their perceived ability to elicit
pharmacological activities, including antihypertensive, antiarrhythmic, antimalarial,
anticancer, analgesic, antispasmodic, antidiabetic, and antimicrobial effects.
Therefore, many plant species are continually screened for PSM, such as alkaloids,
flavonoids, terpenes, saponins, cardiac glycosides, fatty acids, steroids, and tannins
with a view to exploiting them in the manufacture of drugs and pharmaceuticals.
In this review, the pharmacological activities and possible mechanisms of
action of selected PSM are discussed.
Keywords: Alkaloids, Biological activity, Flavonoids, Polyphenols, Secondary metabolites, Saponins, Terpenes.
