Iridoids. Phytochemistry and Biological Activity

C. R. PUNGITORE

Advances in Chemistry Research

Nova Science Publishers, Inc.

Lugar: Nueva York; Año: 2017; p. 49 - 74

It is well known that natural products play a significant role in drug discovery and development. This is particularly evident for cancer, where over 60% of the drugs currently used in chemotherapy are from natural products. The discovery and development of new lead compounds are a consequence of the rapid growth in our understanding of molecular targets that may be applied to the prevention and treatment of human diseases. Iridoids are a special group of natural products; they are monoterpenoids and are present in many families of plants. Almost 2500 structures are known and many have implications in chemosystematics.Several biological activities have been reported for iridoids as well as for iridoid-containing plants. Like many natural products, iridoids have been identified as key molecules in plant/insect and insect/insect interactions. Some of them have been reported as deterrents to a variety of generalist insects and it has been proposed that these compounds may act as a plant defense against herbivores. Several insect species are able to feed on iridioid-containing plants, sequester and apply them for their own defense.