Sesquiterpene lactone, a potent drug molecule from Artemisia pallens wall with anti-inflammatory activity.

The present study was carried out to investigate the anti-inflammatory activities of bioactive secondary metabolites of Artemisia pallens Wall, an aromatic herb from family Asteraceae. The results provide evidence for the topical anti-inflammatory properties of Artemisia pallens Wall. The compounds were isolated from the acetone extract of the plant material.

A cobalt nitrate/hydrogen peroxide system as an efficient reagent for the synthesis of 2-aryl benzimidazoles and benzothiazoles.

Benzimidazoles and benzothiazoles show significant and promising activities against various viruses such as HIV and HCMV-1. Their synthesis using cobalt nitrate and hydrogen peroxide in N,N-dimethylformamide has been presented in the following study. The cobalt nitrate/H2O2 appears to be a smooth and efficient reagent system for the synthesis of 2-aryl substituted benzimidazoles and benzothiazoles.

Efficacy of 4-methyl-7-hydroxy coumarin derivatives against vectors Aedes aegypti and Culex quinquefasciatus.

4-Methyl-7-hydroxy coumarin is considered as a lead molecule as a biopesticide. Its mono bromo and tribromo derivatives were synthesized. Two more derivatives were synthesized by acylation.

Larvicidal activity of bis(2-ethylhexyl) benzene-1,2-dicarboxylate from Sterculia guttata seeds against two mosquito species.

The larvicidal activities of various fractions of the hexane extract of the seeds of Sterculia guttata against larvae of Aedes aegypti and Culex quinquefasciatus were determined. Bis(2-ethylhexyl) benzene-1,2-dicarboxylate (1) was identified as one of the active principles, displaying chronic toxicity against both types of larvae, with LD50 values of 79 and 64 ppm, respectively.

Larvicidal activity of Acacia nilotica extracts and isolation of D-pinitol--a bioactive carbohydrate.

A low-molecular-weight, sugar-like compound other than glucose, fructose, sucrose, or myo-inositol showing lipophilic nature was isolated from the EtOH extract of Acacia nilotica. The structure of the compound was determined by spectral methods. This alicyclic polyalcohol was found to be D-pinitol (= 3-O-methyl-D-chiro-inositol; 1).

Sterculia guttata seeds extractives--an effective mosquito larvicide.

The larvicidal activity of ethanol, chloroform and hexane soxhlet extracts obtained from S. guttata seeds was investigated against the IVth instar larvae of Dengue fever vector, Aedes aegypti and filarial vector, Culex quinquefasciatus. All extracts including fractions of ethanol extract exhibited 100% larval kill within 24 hr exposure period at 500 ppm concentration.

Structure-activity relationship study of androstene steroids with respect to local anti-inflammatory activity.

A sex hormone, 3beta-acetoxy-17beta-hydroxy-androst-5-ene (1) (CAS 1639-43-6), was isolated from aerial parts of Acacia nilotica. This compound is reported to have anti-inflammatory activity. In view of this, considering this molecule as a lead molecule different androstene compounds were synthesized to study their potency and structure-activity relationship with respect to local anti-inflammatory activity.