Diversity 2014, 6, 415-499; doi:10.3390/d6030415 OPEN ACCESS diversity ISSN 1424-2818 www.mdpi.com/journal/diversity Review Diversity of Secondary Metabolites in the Genus Silene L. (Caryophyllaceae)—Structures, Distribution, and Biological Properties Nilufar Z. Mamadalieva 1, Rene Lafont 2 and Michael Wink 3,* 1 Institute of the Chemistry of Plant Substances AS RUz, Mirzo Ulugbek Str. 77, Tashkent 100170, Uzbekistan; E-Mail:
[email protected] 2 Sorbonne Universités, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, IBPS-BIOSIPE, Case Courrier n°29, 7 Quai Saint Bernard F-75252, Paris cedex 05, France; E-Mail:
[email protected] 3 Heidelberg University, Institute of Pharmacy and Molecular Biotechnology, Im Neuenheimer Feld 364, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany * Author to whom correspondence should be addressed; E-Mail:
[email protected]; Tel.: +49-6221-54-4881; Fax: +49-6221-54-4884. Received: 21 May 2014; in revised form: 26 June 2014 / Accepted: 1 July 2014 / Published: 11 July 2014 Abstract: The genus Silene (family Caryophyllaceae) comprises more than 700 species, which are widely distributed in temperate zones of the Northern Hemisphere, but are also present in Africa and have been introduced in other continents. Silene produces a high diversity of secondary metabolites and many of them show interesting biological and pharmacological activities. More than 450 compounds have been isolated; important classes include phytoecdysteroids (which mimic insect molting hormones), triterpene saponins (with detergent properties), volatiles, other terpenoids and phenolics. This review focusses on the phytochemical diversity, distribution of Silene secondary metabolites and their biological activities. Keywords: Silene; Caryophyllaceae; diversity; secondary metabolites; pharmacology; biological properties Diversity 2014, 6 416 1.