The use of and search for drugs and dietary supplements derived from plants have accelerated in recent years. Ethnopharmacologists, botanists, microbiologists, and natural-products chemists are combing the Earth for phytochemicals and “leads” which could be developed for treatment of infectious diseases. While 25 to 50% of current pharmaceuticals are derived from plants, none are used as antimicrobials. Traditional healers have long used plants to prevent or cure infectious conditions; Western medicine is trying to duplicate their successes. Plants are rich in a wide variety of secondary metabolites, such as tannins, terpenoids, alkaloids, and flavonoids, which have been found in vitro to have antimicrobial properties. This review attempts to summarize the current status of botanical screening efforts, as well as in vivo studies of their effectiveness and toxicity. The structure and antimicrobial properties of phytochemicals are also addressed. Since many of these compounds are currently available as unregulated botanical preparations and their use by the public is increasing rapidly, clinicians need to consider the consequences of patients self-medicating with these preparations.

Plant Products as Antimicrobial Agents

Thermo- and pH-responsive polymers in drug delivery.

Department of Pharmaceutics, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER), Sector 67, S. A. S. Nagar,Mohali, Punjab-160 062, India, Institute of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Polytechnic University, Via Ranieri 67, IT-60100 Ancona, Italy,Green Biotechnology Research Group, The Special Division for Human Life Technology, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science andTechnology, 1-8-31 Midorigaoka, Ikeda, Osaka-563-8577, Japan, and Department of Medicinal Chemistry & Natural Products,The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, School of Pharmacy-Faculty of Medicine, Jerusalem 91120, IsraelReceived March 2, 2004

Chitosan chemistry and pharmaceutical perspectives.

https://cmapspublic3.ihmc.us/rid=1266358861321_2027852911_13457/Wound%20Healing%20Dressings%20and%20Drug%20Delivery%20Systems.pdf

Wound healing dressings and drug delivery systems: a review.

The development of nonviral vectors for safe and efficient gene delivery has been gaining considerable attention recently. An ideal nonviral vector must protect the gene against degradation by nuclease in the extracellular matrix, internalize the plasma membrane, escape from the endosomal compartment, unpackage the gene at some point and have no detrimental effects. In comparison to viruses, nonviral vectors are relatively easy to synthesize, less immunogenic, low in cost, and have no limitation in the size of a gene that can be delivered. Significant progress has been made in the basic science and applications of various nonviral gene delivery vectors; however, the majority of nonviral approaches are still inefficient and often toxic. To this end, two nonviral gene delivery systems using either biodegradable poly(D,Llactide-co-glycolide) (PLG) nanoparticles or cell penetrating peptide (CPP) complexes have been designed and studied using A549 human lung epithelial cells. PLG nanoparticles were optimized for gene delivery by varying particle surface chemistry using different coating materials that adsorb to the particle surface during formation. A variety of cationic coating materials were studied and compared to more conventional surfactants used for PLG nanoparticle fabrication. Nanoparticles (~200 nm) efficiently encapsulated plasmids encoding for luciferase (80-90%) and slowly released the same for two weeks. After a delay, moderate levels of gene expression appeared at day 5 for certain positively charged PLG particles and gene expression was maintained for at least two weeks. In contrast, gene expression mediated by polyethyleneimine (PEI) ended at day 5. PLG particles were also significantly less

Nonviral Vectors for Gene Delivery

Myrtenyl acetate from Phebalium tuberculosum ssp. megaphyllum

Phytochemical investigation of the stem bark of Lonchocarpus laxiflorus yielded three new cassane diterpenoids, lonchocassane A [cassa-13 (14), 15-dien-18, 20-dioic acid], lonchocassane B [cassa-13 (14), 15-dien-20-oxo-18-oic acid] and lonchocassane C [cassa-13 (14), 15-dien-20-carboxyl-18-methylcarboxylate]. The known compounds. betulinic acid, betulinic acid acetate, betulin, lupeol, lupenone, trilinoleate, hexacosanyl and triacontanyl caffeates, 4-hydroxy-4-methylpentan-2-one, beta-sitosterol, beta-sitosterol acetate and stigmasterol were also isolated. The structures and identities of the compounds were established by spectroscopic methods.

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1934578X0800300102

Cassane diterpenoids from lonchocarpus laxiflorus

Moringa oleifera is a plant rich in pharmacologically active compounds. This study investigated the phytochemical constituents of Moringa oleifera leaf extracts. Dried M. oleifera leaves were ground and extracted successively with hexane, ethyl acetate and methanol using a Soxhlet apparatus. Different chromatographic techniques were used to fractionate the ethyl acetate extract. Thin layer chromatography was used to pool similar fractions together. Fractions obtained were purified using sephadex glass column. The structures of isolated compounds were identified using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) and comparison with published data. Phytochemical screening revealed the presence of flavonoids, terpenoids, carbohydrates and phenols. Ethyl acetate extract which was subjected to column chromatography resulted to the isolation of two compounds: mono acetyl glycerol and pyropheophorbide-a, from the leaves of M. oleifera. This is the first report on the isolation of pyropheophorbide-a from the leaves of M. oleifera.

Isolation and characterization of pyropheophorbide-a from moringa oleifera lam

Solanum dulcamara L. (dogwood or bitter sweet), Solanaceae, is one of the recommended species for growing in the temperate regions as a source of steroidal alkaloids. These alkaloids are suggested to be alternatives for diosgenin in the commercial production of steroidal pharmaceuticals (Mathe et al., 1986). Steroidal alkaloids like solasodine and its C25 epimer tomatidenol can be easily converted to pregdienolone which is an important intermediate in the synthesis of steroids (Sato et al., 1951). Solanum dulcamara L. exists in three chemovarieties that contain either solasodine, soladulcidine or tomatidenol glycosides (Willuhn, 1966). These Solanum alkaloids are always accompanied by varying quantities of their corresponding oxygen analogues, i.e. the neutral saponins. So, these chemovarities can be relisted as tomatidenol/yamogenin, solasodine/diosgenin and soladulcidine/tigogenin types (Hegnauer, 1989). The tomatidenol-producing taxa are found in the humid Atlantic climate of Western Europe, the soladulcidine type occurs in the drier continental climates while the solasodine variety is comparatively rare (J.R Mathe & I. Mathe, 1979). Only the solasodine and tomatidenol-producing varieties are of interest, but their productivity would not be comparable to that of other tropical or subtropical species as S. laciniatum. So, if this steroidal alkaloids content could be boosted by manipulation, S. dulcamara could be of interest for commercial growing due to its other qualities like fair cold hardiness, good growth on poor soils and perennial life cycle. An alternative approach was to produce these alkaloids intensively in vitro. Several Solanum species including S. dulcamara were the subject of many in vitro manipulations, but attempts, which involved techniques like cell suspension and callus cultures failed to achieve the target. Secondary metabolites production, in general, needs a certain degree of tissue differentiation, something that is obviously lacking in those in vitro systems (Ehmke & Eilert, 1993; Rhodes et al., 1987). A more promising technique has been introduced as an alternative to the classical cell

/pdf/transformed-root-cultures-of-solanum-dulcamara-l-a-model-for-birn1kijh0.pdf

Transformed Root Cultures of Solanum dulcamara L.: A Model for Studying Production of Secondary Metabolites

Two novel ent-labdane diterpenes have been isolated from the aerial parts of Premna oligotricha(Verbenaceae). Primarily through NMR studies one was identified as ent-12-oxolabda-8,3(16)dien-15-oic acid. Similar analysis of the second diterpene was unable to distinguish between two possible structures, ent-8β,12α-epidioxy-12β-hydroxylabda-9(11),13-dien-15-oic acid γ-lactone and ent-8β,12α-epoxy-12β-hydroperoxylabda-9(11),13-dien-15-oic acid δ-lactone. The structure of the second diterpene was established as the γ-lactone by an X-ray diffraction study

ent-12-Oxolabda-8,13(16)-dien-15-oic Acid and ent-8β,12α- Epidioxy-12β-hydroxylabda-9(11),13-dien-15-oic Acid γ- Lactone: Two New Diterpenes from the Aerial Parts of Premna oligotricha

Alexander I. Gray

Papers

Myrtenyl acetate from Phebalium tuberculosum ssp. megaphyllum

Cassane diterpenoids from lonchocarpus laxiflorus

Isolation and characterization of pyropheophorbide-a from moringa oleifera lam

Transformed Root Cultures of Solanum dulcamara L.: A Model for Studying Production of Secondary Metabolites

ent-12-Oxolabda-8,13(16)-dien-15-oic Acid and ent-8β,12α- Epidioxy-12β-hydroxylabda-9(11),13-dien-15-oic Acid γ- Lactone: Two New Diterpenes from the Aerial Parts of Premna oligotricha