Phytochemistry and biological activity of family

Family Urticaceae is a major family of angiosperms comprises 54 genera and more than 2000 species of herbs, shrubs, small trees and a few vines distributed in the tropical regions. Family Urticaceae has many biological importance of angiosperms due to its various phytoconstituents and valuable medicinal uses. Reviewing the current available literatures showed many reports about the phytoconstituents present in many plants of the family Urticaceae. These constituents include triterpenes, sterols, flavonoids, lignans, sesquiterpenes, alkaloids, simple phenolic compounds and miscellaneous compounds which are responsible for its biological activities such as cytotoxic, antimicrobial (antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral) anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, anti-benign prostatic hyperplasia, hepatoprotective, antioxidant as well as wound healing. Genus Urtica is the most investigated (phytochemically and biologically) in all genera of family "Urticaceae". Very few literature were found in phytochemical and biological studies on many genera of family "Urticaceae". This provoked the researchers to carry out extensive studies on these plants.