Phytoestrogens: Chemistry, potential health benefits, and their medicinal importance.

Phytoestrogens, also known as xenoestrogens, are secondary metabolites derived from plants that have similar structures and biological effects as human estrogens. These compounds do not directly affect biological functions but can act as agonists or antagonists depending on the level of endogenous estrogen in the body. Phytoestrogens may have an epigenetic mechanism of action independent of estrogen receptors. These compounds are found in more than 300 plant species and are synthesized through the phenylpropanoid pathway, with specific enzymes leading to various chemical structures. Phytoestrogens, primarily phenolic compounds, include isoflavonoids, flavonoids, stilbenes, and lignans. Extensive research in animals and humans has demonstrated the protective effects of phytoestrogens on estrogen-dependent diseases. Clinical trials have also shown their potential benefits in conditions such as osteoporosis, Parkinson's disease, and certain types of cancer. This review provides a concise overview of phytoestrogen classification, chemical diversity, and biosynthesis and discusses the potential therapeutic effects of phytoestrogens, as well as their preclinical and clinical development.

A Quinquennial Review on Recent Advancements and Developments in Search of Anti-malarial Agents.

Malaria has been a major parasitic disease in tropical and subtropical regions and is estimated to kill between one and two million people (mainly children) every year. Novel anti-malarial agents are urgently needed to combat the malarial parasites enduring resistance to the current medications, leading to increased morbidity and mortality. The heterocycles, holding a prominent position in chemistry and found in both natural and synthetic sources, have shown several biological activities including anti-malarial activity. Towards this goal, several research groups have reported the design and development of novel and potential anti-malarial agents like artemisinin, benzimidazole, benzothiazole, chalcone, cyclopeptide, fosmidomycin, furan, indole oxadiazole, 2-oxindoles, peroxides, pyrazole, pyrazolines, pyridines, pyrimidine, pyrrolidine, quinazoline, quinazolinone, quinolone, quinoline, thiazole, triazole and other scaffolds acting against newly emerging anti-malarial targets. The present work reports the complete quinquennial coverage of anti-malarial agents reported during 2016-2020 with a view of providing the merits and demerits of reported anti-malarial scaffolds, structure-activity relationship, along with their in vitro/ in vivo/ in silico profiles to the medicinal chemists working in the field of design and discovery of novel anti-malarial agents.

Propolis and Their Active Constituents for Chronic Diseases.

Propolis is a mass of chemically diverse phytoconstituents with gummy textures that are naturally produced by honeybees upon collection of plant resins for utilization in various life processes in beehives. Since ancient times, propolis has been a unique traditional remedy globally utilized for several purposes, and it has secured value in pharmaceutical and nutraceutical areas in recent years. The chemical composition of propolis comprises diverse constituents and deviations in the precise composition of the honeybee species, plant source used for propolis production by bees, climate conditions and harvesting season. Over 300 molecular structures have been discovered from propolis, and important classes include phenolic acids, flavonoids, terpenoids, benzofurans, benzopyrene and chalcones. Propolis has also been reported to have diverse pharmacological activities, such as antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anticancer, immunomodulatory, antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, and anticaries. As chronic diseases have risen as a global health threat, abundant research has been conducted to track propolis and its constituents as alternative therapies for chronic diseases. Several clinical trials have also revealed the potency of propolis and its constituents for preventing and curing some chronic diseases. This review explores the beneficial effect of propolis and its active constituents with credible mechanisms and computational studies on chronic diseases.