Abstract
Historically, natural products, which are substances generated by living
organisms found in nature, have made an important contribution to pharmacotherapy,
especially those from plant sources. Phloroglucinols are significant bioactive
polyphenolic compounds that are found in plants, marine and microbial sources. Their
chemical structures include an aromatic phenyl ring with three hydroxyl groups and are
usually made of two or more rings linked together through methylene bridges. They
exist widely in several plant families and are known for their significant biological
potentials, such as antibacterial, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, antileishmanial,
antiplasmodial, antiproliferative and cytotoxicity activities. This book chapter provides
an overview of phloroglucinol compounds in the world, their location in the plant, and
their pharmacological applications.