Secondary Metabolite as Therapeutic Agents with Significant Highlight on Terpenoids

The belief that plants possess biologically active compounds with healing properties beneficial for treating various health conditions has endured since ancient times. The therapeutic importance of these plants highlights their vast potential for the discovery and development of new pharmaceuticals, attributed to their chemical constituents that positively impact human health. Numerous naturally occurring phytochemicals, both dietary and non-dietary, have demonstrated significant potential in preventing and treating various diseases. Secondary metabolites are organic compounds naturally produced by plants, microbes, and certain animals, serving vital roles that extend beyond essential survival functions. Compounds such as alkaloids, flavonoids, terpenoids, and phenolics have garnered considerable interest due to their varied chemical structures and powerful biological effects. They demonstrate a broad spectrum of pharmacological properties, including antidiabetics, anticancer, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant as well as antimalarial, which make them important therapeutic agents in contemporary medicine. Terpenoids, or terpenes, form the largest group of natural compounds and are known for their biological activities, making them valuable in the treatment of human diseases. In the present work we have highlight the potential therapeutic benefit of terpenoids. Among the secondary metabolites terpenoids having more potential to be therapeutic agents for various disorders. Over the past two decades, bioprospecting natural products from the marine environment has led to the discovery of hundreds of terpenoids with unique structures and promising bioactivities, with many more yet to be uncovered.