Firoj A Tamboli¹*, Saurabh S Suryawanshi², Pranav H Pawar², Sandip B Pawar², Pruthviraj B Gophane², Anurag J Patil², Pruthviraj A Mote², Sanket S Salunkhe², Divya K Lad² and Pratiksha S Teli³

¹Department of Pharmacognosy, Bharati Vidyapeeth College of Pharmacy, Near Chitranagari, Kolhapur, Maharashtra, India
²UG Students, Bharati Vidyapeeth College of Pharmacy, Near Chitranagari, Kolhapur, Maharashtra, India
³Department of Pharmacognosy, Ashokrao Mane College of Pharmacy, Peth-vadgaon, Kolhapur, Maharashtra, India

*Corresponding Author: Firoj A Tamboli, Department of Pharmacognosy, Bharati Vidyapeeth College of Pharmacy, Near Chitranagari, Kolhapur, Maharashtra, India.

Received: September 30, 2025; Published: October 29, 2025

Abstract

Phytoalexins are antimicrobial low-molecular-weight secondary metabolites produced by plants de novo, that is, induced by stress, particularly in response to pathogen attack. They are an essential part of the inducible defense system of plants being the natural antibiotics that prevent the growth and proliferation of invasive organisms. Phytoalexins are structurally diverse, and comprise indoles, alkaloids, isoflavonoids, stilbenes, and terpenoids, all of which are important in interactions between plants and pathogens. In addition to the ecological importance, phytoalexins have elicited a lot of scientific attention because of their pharmacological potential in human beings. Resveratrol, glyceollins, pisatin, and camalexin are antioxidants, anticancer agents, cardioprotectants, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and neuroprotectants. Their occurrence in medical herbs and food has prompted the study of their nutraceutical use in the prevention of chronic diseases. This review is an extensive enumeration of phytoalexins in terms of their biosynthesis, classification, occurrence in medicinal plants, as well as plant defense and potential future significance in human health. Furthermore, their use in functional foods, biotechnology, and medicine is also discussed, and the problems and prospects in phytoalexin research.

Keywords: Phytoalexins; Plant Defense; Resveratrol; Glyceollins; Medicinal Plants; Human Health; Nutraceuticals

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Citation

Citation: Firoj A Tamboli., et al. “Phytoalexins – Nature’s Antibiotics with Promise for Future Medicine". Acta Acta Scientific Pharmaceutical Sciences 9.11 (2025): 42-49.

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Copyright: © 2025 Firoj A Tamboli., et al This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.