Triterpene saponins are secondary metabolites typical for higher plants. They possess a wide range of pharmaceutical and biological activities. These include anti-inflammatory, vasoprotective, expectorant, and antitumor properties. In particular, the ability of saponins to enhance the cytotoxicity...

Leaves of Ligustrum vulgare (common privet) have been used for treatment of oropharyngeal inflammations or as antirheumatic, diuretic, and hypotensive agents in folk medicine in southern Europe. Taking into account that neutrophils are involved in the inflammation, the aim of the study was to...

Obesity is an epidemic in most developed countries and novel therapeutic approaches are needed. In the course of a screening project of medicinal plants used by the Eastern James Bay Cree of Canada and having potential for the treatment of diabetes, we have identified several products that inhibit...

The fruit of Nandina domestica Thunberg (ND, Berberidaceae) has been used to improve cough and breathing difficulties in Japan for many years, but very little is known about the constituent of ND responsible for this effect. We have recently reported that the crude extract from ND (NDE) inhibits...

The quality control of medicinal herbs post harvesting or after collection becomes very critical because of susceptibility to fungal invasion during storage depending on the temperature and humidity of the storage area. The information on moisture equilibrium is important on the process and storage ...

C. filiformis, a widely distributed parasitic plant, contains several aporphine alkaloids and is often used in African folk medicine to treat cancer, African trypanosomiasis and other diseases. In a previous investigation, we showed that the alkaloid plant extract and the isolated aporphines...

Purification of a cytotoxic crude alkaloid extract of Cassytha filiformis led to the isolation of four known aporphine alkaloids: neolitsine, dicentrine, cassythine (=cassyfiline) and actinodaphnine. Their structures were determined by analysis of spectroscopic data. All isolated alkaloids were...

The antimalarial properties of T. diversifolia, an Asteraceae traditionally used to treat malaria, were investigated in vitro against three strains of Plasmodium falciparum. The ether extract from aerial parts of the plant collected in São Tomé and Príncipe, demonstrated good antiplasmodial...

Seven ellagitannins isolated from P. myrtifolius and P. urinaria were shown, for the first time, to be active against Epstein-Barr virus DNA polymerase (EBV-DP) at the µsmallcap˜M level. All these compounds have the same moiety of a corilagin, and differ from each other by different substitutions...