A Review of the Ethnomedicinal Uses, Biological Activities, and Triterpenoids of Species.

The genus is one of the largest genera in the spurge family, with diversity in range, distribution, and morphology. The plant species in this genus are widely used in traditional medicine for the treatment of diseases, ranging from respirational infections, body and skin irritations, digestion complaints, inflammatory infections, body pain, microbial illness, snake or scorpion bites, pregnancy, as well as sensory disorders. Their successes have been attributed to the presence of diverse phytochemicals like polycyclic and macrocyclic diterpenes with various pharmacological properties.

Cycloartanol and Sutherlandioside C peracetate from and their immune potentiating effects.

A novel cycloartanol () and an acylated Sutherlandioside D () together with two known cycloartane derivatives, Sutherlandioside B () and Sutherlandioside A (), were isolated from the aerial parts of . The structures of these compounds were established by a combination of 1- and 2-D NMR techniques and further confirmed by high resolution ToF mass spectrometry (HRToFMS). Preliminary biological studies were also conducted to assess the activity of different plant extracts, fractions and compounds on cytokine expression.

Effects of TNT contaminated soil on vegetation at an explosive range by probing UPLC-qTOF MS profiling method.

Three tree species (Wild olive, Stinkwood and Cape Holy) and a shrub (Dovyalis caffra) were each potted in 20 L pots in order to evaluate the effect of 1,3,5-trinitrotoluene (TNT)-contaminated soil on vegetation. TNT contamination was established by dissolving flake TNT in acetone at 300 and 600 mg per kilogram soil concentrations. One pot for every species was left uncontaminated as control elements.

-abietane diterpenoids from Baill. (Euphorbiaceae), their cytotoxic and anticancer properties.

The stem bark extract of afforded a previously undescribed -abietane diterpenoid trivially named mangiolide () and a known jolkinolide B () via anticancer bioassay-guided fractionation. The CHCl:MeOH extract of was initially analysed for its anticancer properties against three cancer cell lines, renal (TK10), melanoma (UACC62), and breast (MCF7) and was found to be potent at low μg/mL ranges. Compound , 6α-acetoxy-14-keto--abieta-7(8),13(15)-diene-16,12-olide (mangiolide) inhibited the growth of renal (TK10) with a GI of 0.

Antiprotozoal screening of 60 South African plants, and the identification of the antitrypanosomal germacranolides schkuhrin I and II.

Two hundred and seven extracts were prepared from sixty plants from South Africa and screened for in vitro activity against Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense, Trypanosoma cruzi, Leishmania donovani, and Plasmodium falciparum. For the 21 extracts which inhibited the growth of one or more parasites with more than 95 % at 10 µg/mL, the IC50 values against all four protozoal parasites and cytotoxic IC50 values against L6 myoblasts were determined. Amongst the most notable results are the activities of Psoralea pinnata (IC50 of 0.

Venusol from Gunnera perpensa: structural and activity studies.

From the aqueous extract of the dry rhizomes of Gunnera perpensa the minor components pyrogallol, succinic acid, lactic acid, and the trimethyl ether of ellagic acid glucoside were isolated. The major constituent was identified as Z-venusol, a phenylpropanoid glucoside. Its structure was verified by X-ray diffraction.