BACKGROUND The plant Launaea procumbens belongs to the family Asteraceae and traditionally used in the treatment rheumatism, kidney, liver dysfunctions and eye diseases. In the present study Phytochemical analysis and fractions of methanolic extract of L. procumbens leaves were tested in vitro for their cytotoxicity. OBJECTIVES Phytochemical analysis and cytotoxic activity of methanolic extra...

Manilkara subsericea (Mart.) Dubard (Sapotaceae) is popularly known in Brazil as "guracica." Studies with Manilkara spp indicated the presence of triterpenes, saponins, and flavonoids. Several activities have been attributed to Manilkara spp such as antimicrobial, antiparasitic and antitumoral, which indicates the great biological potential of this genus. In all, 87.19% of the hexanic extract f...

The ethyl acetate extract of leaves of Moldenhawera nutans Queiroz & Alkin (Leguminosae) furnished, besides methyl gallate and gallic acid, the flavonols named laricetrin, laricetrin 3-glucoside and laricetrin 3-galactoside as well as the new one named laricetrin 5-galloyl-3-beta-D-xylopyranoside. It also was isolated from the hexane extract: beta-sitosterol, lupenone, beta-amyrinone, alpha-amy...

Medicinal plants are the local heritage with global importance playing a vital role in world health care system of developing countries. Calotropis procera (Asclepiadaceae), a giant milk weed, is known for its pharmacological importance for centuries. The coarse shrub is a very promising source of anticancerous, ascaricidal, schizonticidal, anti-microbial, anthelmintic, insecticidal, anti-infla...

Licorice (roots and stolons of Glycyrrhiza plants, Leguminosae) is a well-known natural sweetener, and its sweet constituent is an oleanane-type triterpene saponin, glycyrrhizin. Cultured cells of G. glabra do not produce glycyrrhizin, but produce two structurally different triterpenoid constituents, betulinic acid and soyasaponins. Both glycyrrhizin and soyasaponins are oleanane-type triterpen...

The evolution of the ability to synthesize specialized metabolites is likely to have been key for survival and diversification of different plant species. Oats (Avena spp.) produce antimicrobial triterpenoids (avenacins) that protect against disease. The oat beta-amyrin synthase gene AsbAS1, which encodes the first committed enzyme in the avenacin biosynthetic pathway, is clearly distinct from ...

Despite the medicinal uses of Phragmanthera capitata, Globimetula dinklagei and Tapinanthus bangwensis against memory loss, convulsions pain, their efficacy brain-dysfunction diseases inflammation models has not yet been studied. Therefore, this study aims to investigate anti-inflammatory acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitory potentials crude extracts isolated natural compounds by combining in...