Among the biologically active triterpenes, friedelin has the most-rearranged structure produced by the oxidosqualene cyclases and is the only one containing a cetonic group. In this study, we cloned and functionally characterized friedelin synthase and one cycloartenol synthase from Maytenus ilicifolia (Celastraceae). The complete coding sequences of these 2 genes were cloned from leaf mRNA, an...

Spathodea falcata is used in Indian folk medicine as an antiulcerogenic agent. This study was intended to evaluate the antiulcer property of various extracts of bark of Spathodea falcata at different dose levels in ethanol induced and indomethacin induced gastric ulcer models. It was observed that oral administration of all the extracts shows significant reduction in ulcer lesion index as well ...

BACKGROUND Despite the remarkable progress in cancer therapy in recent years, this disease still remains a serious public health concern. The use of natural products has been and continues to be one of the most effective ways to fight malignancies. The cytotoxicity of 14 compounds from African medicinal plants was evaluated in four human carcinoma cell lines and normal fibroblasts. The tested s...

The red seaweed Laurencia dendroidea belongs to the Rhodophyta, a phylum of eukaryotic algae that is widely distributed across the oceans and that constitute an important source of bioactive specialized metabolites. Laurencia species have been studied since 1950 and were found to contain a plethora of specialized metabolites, mainly halogenated sesquiterpenes, diterpenes and triterpenes that po...

The phytochemical studies on the plant of Scoparia dulcis.Linn resulted in isolation of α and β amyrin and steroidal glycoside are being reported for the first time from this plants. The preliminary phyto chemical screening showed the presence of Carbohydrates, protein and aminoacids, glycosides, phenolic compounds, steroids, di and tri terpenes, and flavanoids. The plant is reported to contain...

Propolis is a resin produced by bees from raw material collected from plants, salivary secretions, and beeswax. New therapeutic properties for the Central Nervous System have emerged. We explored the neurobehavioral and antioxidant effects of an ethanolic extract of yellow propolis (EEYP) rich in triterpenoids, primarily lupeol and β-amyrin. Male Wistar rats, 3 months old, were intraperitoneall...

The cytotoxic activity and the chemical composition of the dichloromethane/methanol root extract of Linum scabrellum Planchon (Linaceae) were analyzed. Using NMR spectra and mass spectrometry analyses of the extract we identified eight main constituents: oleic acid (1), octadecenoic acid (2), stigmasterol (3), α-amyrin (4), pinoresinol (5), 6 methoxypodophyllotoxin (6), coniferin (7), and 6-met...

This work was aimed to extract and characterise the essential oils presented in the leaves of Moringa Oleifera using supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) and compare the results against those using the conventional Soxhlet extraction method. The oils extracted were analysed using GC-MS. The compounds were identified according to their retention indices and mass spectra (EI, 70eV). The effects o...

The lipid content of Atriplex semibacata growing in Egypt was studied. The unsaponifiable fraction was identified by GLC. A series of hydrocarbons ranging from C(14)- C(28) in addition to cholesterol, stigmasterol and the triterpenoids α and β - amyrin were identified. GLC analysis of fatty alcohols fraction revealed the presence of six fatty alcohols in which dotriacontanol (C(32)H(66)O) was t...

Staphylococcus aureus is an important human pathogen in both hospital and the community that has demonstrated resistance to all currently available antibiotics over the last two decades. Multidrug-resistant isolates of methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) exhibiting decreased susceptibilities to glycopeptides has also emerged, representing a crucial challenge for antimicrobial therapy and inf...