Abstract
Pharmaceuticals have attracted increased attention because of their beneficial effects on human health. A large number of secondary metabolites with various biological activities have been discovered but the potential for industrial development as drugs and nutritional supplements are limited. However, some bioactive substances derived from plants have diverse functional roles as secondary metabolites and these properties can be applied to the developments of novel pharmaceuticals. Recently, extensive studies have been conducted on the general aspects of the chemical structures, physical and biochemical properties and biotechnological applications of bioactive substances derived from various plants. In this research, we have summarized the pharmaceutical prospecting of natural compounds such as cycloartanes, flavonoids, sesquiterpenes, fatty acids, lignans, sterols and other metabolites isolated from the genus Amberboa and their progresses in biotechnological applications as pharmaceuticals.