Plant-based natural products as prototype leads for anticancer drugs

Nature with a tremendous phytobiodiversity and chemodiversity has acted as a storehouse of remedies for curing ailments of mankind and has the potential to provide bioactive compounds for effective treatment of life threatening diseases like Cancer Aids cardiovascular diseases and diabetes. From a small fraction of explored world‟s biodiversity an arsenal of drugs has been produced for the relief of human sufferings. Some of the pure compounds with pharmacological activities obtained from natural sources are Taxol Mitomycins vinca alkaloids like vincristine vinblastine vindesine vinorelbine other compounds like Longifolene Biotin Camphor Ciguatoxin Digitoxin etc. Natural products have provided good share of anticancer and antihypertensive drugs. Natural products are likely to continue to be the source of drug leads on account of their unparalleled characteristics like absorption and metabolism by the body wider acceptance due to natural origin and their peculiar steriochemical patterns suitable for their recognition as ligands by bimolecular targets of action.