Medicinal plants are a rich source of bioactive phytochemicals or bionutrients. Studies carried out during the past 2â€“3 decades have shown that these phytochemicals have an important role in preventing chronic diseases like cancer, diabetes and coronary heart disease. The major classes of phytochemicals with disease-preventing functions are dietary fibre, antioxidants, anticancer, detoxifying agents, immunity-potentiating agents and neuropharmacological agents. Each class of these functional agents consists of a wide range of chemicals with differing potency. Some of these phytochemicals have more than one function. There is, however, much scope for further systematic research in screening Indian medicinal plants for these phytochemicals and assessing their potential in protecting against different types of diseases.

https://www.phytojournal.com/archives/2013/vol1issue6/PartA/26.pdf

Phytochemistry of Medicinal Plants

Allelopathy studies the interactions among plants, fungi, algae and bacteria with the organisms living in a certain ecosystem, interactions that are mediated by the secondary metabolites produced and exuded into the environment. Consequently, allelopathy is a multidisciplinary science where ecologists, chemists, soil scientists, agronomists, biologists, plant physiologists and molecular biologists offer their skills to give an overall view of the complex interactions occurring in a certain ecosystem. As a result of these studies, applications in weed and pest management are expected in such different fields as development of new agrochemicals, cultural methods, developing of allelopathic crops with increased weed resistance, etc. The present paper will focus on the chemical aspects of allelopathy, pointing out the most recent advances in the chemicals disclosed, their mode of action and their fate in the ecosystem. Also, attention will be paid to achievements in genomics and proteomics, two emerging fields in allelopathy. Rather than being exhaustive, this paper is intended to reflect a critical vision of the current state of allelopathy and to point to future lines of research where in the authors' opinion the main advances and applications could and should be expected.

Allelopathy--a natural alternative for weed control.

Yi-Bing Wu,† Zhi-Yu Ni,† Qing-Wen Shi,*,† Mei Dong,‡ Hiromasa Kiyota,* Yu-Cheng Gu,†,∥ and Bin Cong*,‡ †School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province 050017, China ‡Department of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province 050017, China Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology for Future Bioindustry, Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tohoku University, 1-1 Tsutsumidori-Amamiya, Aoba-ku, Sendai 981-8555, Japan Syngenta Jealott’s Hill International Research Centre, Berkshire RG42 6EY, United Kingdom

Constituents from Salvia species and their biological activities.

Lignans neolignans, and related compounds

Cholesterol autoxidation 1981-1986.

Flavans of dragon’s blood from Dracaena draco and Dracaena tamaranae

Chromenes and benzofurans from Ageratina glechonophylla

The following compounds have been isolated from the lichen RAMALINA HIERRENSIS, collected on savin, and endemic to the Canary Islands: ursolic acid, iso-arborinol acetate, beta-sitosterol, ergosterol peroxide, cerevisterol, (-)-sandaracopimaric acid, parietin, (+)-usnic acid, (+)-iso-usnic acid, divaricatic acid, atranorin, stictic acid, gangaleodin, variolaric acid, montagnetol, and hierridin. The structures of all compounds were elucidated by physical, spectral, and chemical methods.

Jaime Bermejo Barrera

Papers

Flavans of dragon’s blood from Dracaena draco and Dracaena tamaranae

Chromenes and benzofurans from Ageratina glechonophylla

Chemical Constituents of the Lichen Ramalina hierrensis.

Thymol derivatives from schizogyne glaberrima

Synthesis of α-Metoylene-γ-Lactones in Furanosidic Systems