Medicinal Uses of Nitrogen Group Containing Secondary Metabolites: A Review

Abstract

In the history of humanity plants have always existed as a source of health benefits to living things. These plants produce non-nutritive chemicals that have protective or disease preventive properties. These plants produce a necessary wide range of primary and secondary metabolites that have antimicrobial and antifungal properties. The primary metabolites prominently function in the growth, development, and reproduction of cells. The primary metabolites perform their functions as molecules signaling to trigger defense response. The secondary metabolites are produced by plants and used as their defense mechanism and harnessed by humans for medicinal use because of their unique pharmacological properties. The secondary metabolites are generally small organic molecules produced by plants that are not essential for their growth, development and reproduction but are used as defense mechanism by these plants. Although these secondary metabolites are not essential for plant growth, they are very essential for the health, nutrition, and economics of human societies, the main secondary metabolites are nitrogen group compounds found are in alkaloids, glycosides and non-protein. Alkaloids play a very important role due to their medicinal properties and can be used as analgesic, stimulants, anti-viral and anti-inflammatory agents etc.