The Monimiaceae, Siparunaceae, and Atherospermataceae, formerly included in the broad ''old'' Monimiaceae family, have long been known for their uses in traditional medicine and have proven to be rich sources of chemically diverse specialized metabolites with numerous potent biological and therapeutical properties. The progress made recently has expanded their phytochemistry and pharmacology albeit to different extents. This review focuses on the non-volatile constituents isolated from the three plant families during the last two decades and their emerging therapeutic potential. Based on the data collected from multiple databases without statistical analysis, approximately 93 components, of which 35 undescribed compounds including γ-lactones, alkaloids, terpenoids, flavonoids, and homogentisic acid derivatives, have been reported. Moreover, diverse biological activities of pure isolated compounds such as anticancer, antioxidant, antiparasitic, antiviral, and antibacterial activities have been evidenced. Besides offering new important perspectives for different diseases' management, the chemical and biological diversities among the isolated compounds, open promising avenues of research and contribute to renewed interest in these families needing further studies. This review provides an updated overview of their potential as sources of leads for drug discovery, while also highlighting ongoing challenges and future research opportunities.
Keywords: Alkaloids; Atherospermataceae; Biological activities; Flavonoids; Homogentisic acid derivatives; Monimiaceae; Siparunaceae; Terpenoids; γ-Lactones.
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