Pilocarpus spp: A survey of its chemical constituents and biological activities

RESUMO

Pilocarpus species have been exploited as the only source of the imidazole alkaloid pilocarpine (used in glaucoma treatment), since its isolation up to the present. Almost all Pilocarpus species are native from Brazil. Because of the medicinal importance of pilocarpine, several of them are in the path of extinction. Other secondary metabolites, such as coumarins, flavonoids and terpenes, were described for Pilocarpus species. In this review the secondary metabolites, other than pilocarpine, isolated from Pilocarpus species and their biological activities were compiled. Although the variety of structures and the importance of the biological activities described in literature for Pilocarpus species this is an unexploited field of research in Natural Products and Pharmacology