sharing of scientific knowledge, lack of a bench to bedside technology transfer and clinical trials needed
for validation. Moreover, the majority of the naturally occurring plant-based herbal products lack
scientific evidence, which hampers its clinical use. Furthermore, incorrect/inappropriate manufacturing
practices such as misidentification, lack of standardization, low-quality manufacturing tools, microbial
contamination, poor or improper packaging, inappropriate maintenance/storage (temperature, light
exposure, etc), substitution and adulteration of plants, incorrect preparation and dosage are some
constraints for regular use of phytomedicines, thus should be taken with an utmost care.
During the past several years, researchers are redirecting their interests to revalorize the natural
herbs and their medicinal value as compared to the synthetic counterparts and alternatives. Moreover,
words like microbial resistance, drug failure, and significant side-effects are emphasized in growing
medicinal awareness. Therefore, people are more awakened to go for safer and natural alternatives like
herbs and plant-derived metabolites. Also, recent advancements in the biotechnological and biomedical
world at the molecular level have also allowed the elucidation of mechanism based receptor screens to
probe interactions between large molecules. Moreover, with the advent of technology at nano- level,
naturally occurring small product molecules are being considered as potential drug candidates for therapy
and prophylaxis, as a new era of treatment. The utilization of nanotubes, nanowires, nano-sensors, and
nano-suspensions could have considerable interests for an efficient and switchable delivery of various
phytomedicinal preparations for cancer treatment and also tackle other diseases involving central nervous
system.
In conclusion, a considerable scope exists to implement the above discussed novel technologies
at various levels, i.e., Macro, Micro, and Nano in the field of medicine and veterinary sciences. Given the
long-term striving for socially acceptable, sustainable and friendly biotechnological processes, the health
concerns regarding harmful chemicals, the versatility, fewer side-effect, and high-level bioactivity, herbal
heritage with an aim to develop new phytomedicines is likely to remain the subject of intensive research
investigations in different sectors of the modern world. Moreover, this could also help in revolutionizing
and widen the use and applicability of the naturally occurring rich and novel wealth for numerous health
benefits for humans and animals alike.
Conclusion and future perspectives
The importance of medicinal plants as a complementary and alternative remedy is growing the
pharmaceutical industry development along with the advances in research and development in the area of
drug discovery. The increasing number and quality of novel and more efficient biological, synthetic and
semisynthetic pharmacological products have not impacted the importance of natural products in
medicine, especially in the developing world. In contrast, the fast growing population of the world
particularly those in the developing countries has increased the demand for medicinal plants themselves
and the products derived from them. This is because herbal medicines including herbal
immunomodulators represent many unrealized promises. It necessitated the wealth of traditional
knowledge and continued the search for the unexplored therapeutic potential of other plants. A wide
range of herbal plants contains different groups of phytochemicals like triterpene saponins, alkaloids,
flavonoids, pectins, diterpenoids, lignins, etc. These bioactive constituents, along with many other
mediators and mutual interactions, are well known to possess cytoprotective, immunomodulatory,
antioxidant, antitumor, anti-inflammatory, anticancer and antibacterial activities through different
mechanisms viz., some of them help in activation and promoting the production of many types of
proinflammatory cytokines like IL-1, IL-2, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-12 and some interferons like IFN-γ
and TNF-α from macrophage beside enhancing the cytotoxic effects of macrophages. The active
biological components extracted from various plants suggested to be with immunological effects have
been proven to exhibit immune stimulation through increasing antibody production, phagocytosis,
phagocytic index, activation of natural killer (NK) cells, complement system and Th1-pathway cytokines
and elevation of both neutrophil and lymphocyte count. Many extracts can act through modulation of
lymphocyte proliferation activity and lymphocyte-mediated immune functions especially CD4 (+) T cells
and B and increase the population of CD3, CD4, CD8 cells while other extracts have been reported to
have beneficial impacts on albumin and different types of immunoglobulins.
The ability of phytochemicals extracted from medicinal plants to inhibit the cyclooxygenases and
5-lipoxygenase pathways and their effective antibacterial activity give them the improved
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