Foreword

We take the opportunity to communicate with you, through this foreword message of the book series with thematic focus on ‘Frontiers in Bioactive Compounds (Volume 3) Title: Therapeutic implications of Natural Bioactive Compounds’.

The nature has provided us enormous genetic potential which has evolved through ages and appears not only in form of biological diversity but also in form of biologically active molecules called bio-active compounds. Many bioactive compounds obtained from natural sources include, phenolics, alkaloids, tannins, saponins, lignin, glycosides, terpenes etc. have been studied thoroughly for therapeutic applications with potential use in pharmaceutical industry.

The assessment of wide-ranging therapeutic potentials of these bioactive compounds has led to the discovery of many modern drugs in recent times. In the present era, it is believed that the natural product-based medicine is considered as the most suitable and safe to be used as an alternative medicine due to their low or no side effects at the effective doses. Moreover, World Health Organization aims to increase the integration of traditional medicine in order to improve health care system. Therefore, natural products research has become a thrust area among scientific community aimed toward understanding the chemistry, analytical methodologies, biosynthetic mechanisms, and pharmacological activities of several natural bioactive compounds. Thus, it is prime interest of researchers to develop understanding about various natural bio-active compounds in order to promote the drug discovery research and to complement the medical world by developing novel drug molecules with superior bioactivities.

The present book series entitled ‘Frontiers in Bioactive Compounds (Volume Title: Therapeutic implications of Natural Bioactive Compounds)’ includes 13 chapters contributed by many academicians, scientists, and researchers from various leading institutes from India and abroad. The editors have made enormous and successful effort to assemble a huge variety of knowledge on structures and therapeutic potential of various natural bioactive compounds present in plants, fungi, algae, marine organisms etc. Chapter contributors have extensively reviewed the therapeutic role of various bioactive compounds against many health disorders in human such as COVID-19, cancer, diabetes, immuno-modulators, neurodegenerative changes and many diseases of farm animals.

We believe this book surely provides updated information on the structure, properties and much therapeutic application of various natural bioactive compounds to graduate, undergraduate students, teachers, food scientists, nutritionists, pharmaceuticals, physicians, food industrials, as well as for health-conscious consumers. We congratulate the editors Dr. Mukesh Kumar Sharma and Dr. (Mrs.) Pallavi Kaushik, and all contributing authors for bringing the collection of their noble piece of work and also for the grand success of this book.