Five Himalayan weeds as potential bioresources for bioactive agents: toxic compounds to valuable scaffolds

Abstract

Natural products are highly prevalent in Himalayan region clustered in medicinal and aromatic plants including weeds. Toxic weed plants are of serious concerns due to their hazardous effects to humans, environment, and animals. The cause of toxicity of these toxic weed plants is due to the presence of toxic secondary metabolites. Several toxic secondary metabolites have been reported and characterised in these weed plants. There are several functionalities (toxicophores) in these secondary metabolites which have been identified responsible for the toxic effects of these naturally occurring molecules. The eradication of these toxic weed plants is the major strategy to minimize the hazardous effects. Albeit, there are possibilities for the utilization of these abundantly available toxic secondary metabolites as the valuable scaffolds by their synthetic modification to alter their toxicophores. Herein, we have compiled the reports based on the synthetic modification of the toxicophores present in these secondary metabolites and evaluated for their various pharmacological potential. Several molecules have been illustrated which are present in good amount in the toxic weeds and utilised as valuable bioactive scaffolds through intervention of synthetic modifications. The current review will be highly beneficial for the future developments utilising the abundantly available toxic molecules isolated from toxic weed plants and will also provide the alternative and effective strategy for the utilization of these toxic weeds.

Graphical abstract