Neuropharmacological effects of triterpenoids

Triterpenes comprise one of the most interesting groups of natural products due to their diverse pharmacological activities. Triterpenes are ubiquitously present in variety of ethnomedicinal plants. The term ‘triterpene’ represents naturally occuring terpenes, whereas the broader expression ‘triterpenoid’ includes secondary metabolites. It has been estimated that 80 distinct types of both the structure and the chemical characteristics of triterpenes have been identified till today. Many such compounds can either be used directly as active compounds or modified to increase their selectivity and potency. The present article provides updates on wide range of biological activities of tetracyclic triterpenes and pentacyclic triterpenoids such as immunomodulatory, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, anti-anxiety,antidepressant, memory enhancer, antinociceptive, neuroprotective and other CNS actions. Several structural groups of triterpenes have demonstrated specificity against transcriptional factors which can be promising candidates for treating inflammation, cancer, and immune diseases.