In vitro and in vivo antiplasmodial activity of extracts and isolated constituents of Alstonia congensis root bark.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: An aqueous decoction of root bark of Alstonia congensis Engl. (Apocynaceae) is used in several African countries to treat various ailments including malaria.

Materials And Methods: Extracts of different polarity and isolated constituents were tested in vitro for their antiplasmodial activity against the chloroquine-resistant strain Plasmodium falciparum K1 and the chloroquine-sensitive strain P.

Selection of chemical markers for the quality control of medicinal plants of the genus Cecropia.

Context: Several Cecropia (Cecropiaceae) species are traditionally used in Latin America for the treatment of a variety of diseases including diabetes, arterial hypertension, asthma, bronchitis, anxiety, and inflammation. At present, a number of commercial products based on these plants have been introduced into the market with very little information on methods for guaranteeing their quality and safety.

Objective: This work proposes potential chemical markers for the quality control of the raw materials of Cecropia obtusifolia Bertol.

The value of central-African traditional medicine for lead finding: Some case studies.

Unlabelled: Ethnoparmaological relevance: One of the possible methodologies for the discovery of novel drugs is the screening of selected plant extracts for a broad array of pharmacological activities.

Materials And Methods: The selection based on enthnomedicinal uses, combined with a follow-up of existing literature on the plants' chemotaxonomic properties, would seem to be the most cost-effective strategy for finding active plant extracts. A bioassay-guided fractionation of the active extracts should subsequently lead to the isolation and identification of the active lead constituent(s).

Antihepatotoxic activity of a quantified Desmodium adscendens decoction and D-pinitol against chemically-induced liver damage in rats.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: The isolation of D-pinitol (or 3-O-methyl-D-chiro-inositol) from an aqueous decoction of Desmodium adscendens (Fabaceae) leaves and twigs is reported. The protective and curative effect of this decoction, in which d-pinitol was quantified, and of pure D-pinitol, against chemically-induced liver damage in rats has been evaluated.

Materials And Methods: Enzyme levels of aspartate transaminase (AST), alanine transaminase (ALT) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP), which are among the usual biomarkers for liver damage, were determined in serum samples of experimental animals.

Evaluation of the anti-angiogenic activity of saponins from Maesa lanceolata by different assays.

Angiogenesis, in which a vascular network is established from pre-existing vessels, is a complex multistep process. Mechanisms underlying angiogenesis can be investigated using a variety of in vitro, ex vivo and in vivo approaches. Evaluation of several promising plants and plant metabolites, including terpenoids, revealed promising anti-angiogenic activity.