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This book provides a concise overview of the Apocynaceae plant family, focusing on its morphology, diversity, ethnopharmacology, phytochemistry, and biological activities. It explores biotechnological advances in large-scale production of therapeutic bioactive compounds and conservation efforts using plant tissue culture. The family Apocynaceae is one of the largest and important families in angiosperm, with several members having medicinal properties used to treat various ailments. Most of them are consumed as food by tribal people, while a few plants are used as a source of poison, insecticides, gum, and many other important products. Members of this family are rich in alkaloids, terpenoids, steroids, flavonoids, glycosides, simple phenols, lactones and hydrocarbons. Other compounds such as sterols, lignans, and sugars have also been systematically studied. Extracts and isolated compounds from Apocynaceae members exhibit antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and cytotoxic activities. Notable plants like Holarrhena antidysenterica, Rauvolfia serpentina, Carissa carandas, and Tabernaemontana divaricata have been extensively researched. The family presents a diverse range of bioactive compounds with medicinal and pharmacological properties, holding promise for future applications. The book also covers endophytic microorganisms with their diversity, biological activities in Apocynaceae plants. It also highlights the role of endophytes in conservation of Apocynaceae plants. By identifying existing knowledge gaps, it aims to inspire further research in the field, making it a valuable resource for students and researchers in Life Sciences, agriculture, medicine, and pharmaceutical sciences.

The present volume 4 of the book series “Natural Products: Research Reviews” provides the readers with recent information/achievements and about future directions on the subject. The book comprises twenty two review articles, focuses on the potential applications of a diverse group of natural sources prominent among which are as follows: • Anticancer Properties of Anthocyanidins • Camellia sinensis (L.) Kuntze: Chemical and Nutraceutical Properties • Screening of Silver Nanoparticle Synthetic Efficacy of Some Medicinal Plants • Chemical Diversity, Pharmacological, Nutritional and Therapeutic Novelty of Marine Derived Products: An Infinite Natural Resource • Nutritional and Phytomedicinal Potential of Prunus avium L. • Phytochemical Composition and Different Biological Activities of Alpinia spp. • Treatment of Male and Female Sexual Dysfunctions by Some Natural Herbs • Role of Diet for Management of Anxiety Disorders • Therapeutic Potential of Yarrow (Achilla millefolium) Linn. • Phyto-pharmacological Aspects of Two Hypericum Species • Modified Polysaccharides: Its Needs, Approaches and Applications in Drug Delivery • In vitro Micropropagation and Phytochemical Screening of Oroxylum indicum • Assesement of Genotoxic and Genoprotective Profile of Some Commonly Used Herbal Medicines • Use of Mucilage from Yam (Dioscorea spp.) Tuber for Biotechnological Applications • Natural Aspects of Medicinal Plant Codiaeum variegatum • Diabetic Skin Wound Healing and the Use of Medicinal Plants • Pterocarpus marsupium Roxb. - An Important Medicinal Plant • Digera muricata (L.) Mart: A Versatile Medicinal Plant • Biological Properties of Smilax chinensis Linn. The book is not only an excellent source material for the scientists and teachers but also for research workers working on different aspects of Natural Products. It is hoped the present volume will attract wide acceptance of pharmacologists, phytochemists, medical personals in particular and a host of other scientists and biologists to facilitate further research on natural products.

Proceedings of the 38th Annual Meeting at the Phytochemical Society of North America on Phytochemicals in Human Health Protection, Nutrition and Plant Defense, held July 26-31, 1998 in Pullman, WA, USA

This brand new Annual Plant Reviews volume is the second edition of the highly successful and well-received Annual Plant Reviews, Volume 2. This exciting new volume provides an up-to-date survey of the biochemistry and physiology of plant secondary metabolism. The volume commences with an overview of the biochemistry, physiology and function of secondary metabolism, followed by detailed reviews of the major groups of secondary metabolites: alkaloids and betalains, cyanogenic glucosides, glucosinolates and nonprotein amino acids, phenyl propanoids and related phenolics, terpenoids, cardiac glycosides and saponins. A final chapter discusses the evolution of secondary metabolism. This carefully compiled new edition brings together chapters from some of the world's leading experts in plant secondary metabolism. Completely revised and brought right up to date with much new information, this volume is an essential purchase for advanced students, researchers and professionals in biochemistry, physiology, molecular biology, genetics, plant sciences, agriculture, medicine, pharmacology and pharmacy, working in the academic and industrial sectors, including those working in the pesticide and pharmaceutical industries. Libraries in all universities and research establishments where these subjects are studied and taught will need copies of this excellent volume on their shelves. A companion volume Annual Plant Reviews Volume 39, Functions and Biotechnology of Plant Secondary Metabolites, Second Edition, Edited by M. Wink, is also available.

This single-source reference provides a comprehensive overview of recent advances in industrial mycology. The handbook provides a framework of basic methods, tools, and organizational principles for channeling fungal germplasm into the academic, pharmaceutical, and enzyme discovery laboratories, and discusses the complex range of processes involved in the discovery, characterization, and profiling of bioactive fungal metabolites. This authoritative book provides examples of several recently marketed fungal metabolites for clear demonstration and recognizes the impact of fungi on applications in the pharmaceutical, food and beverage, agricultural, and agrochemical industries.

Taxol, originally derived from the North American Yew tree in 1971, is well-known worldwide as a powerful anticancer agent. Mechanistically, it has a unique microtubule stabilizing activity, and was clinically developed as a therapeutic agent in the treatment of breast and ovarian cancers at the National Cancer Institute, Washington D.C., USA. I

Interest in obtaining biologically active compounds from natural sources has recently spiked due to their low toxicity, complete biodegradability, availability from renewable sources, and in most cases, low cost. Taking an interdisciplinary approach, Bioactive Compounds from Natural Sources: Isolation, Characterization, and Biological Properties co

The papers assembled in this volume were originally presented at the joint meeting of the Phytochemical Society of North America and the Mid-Atlantic Plant Molecular Biology Society, in August 2000. The symposium from which these chapters were prepared was entitled'Regulation of Phytochemicals by Molecular Techniques'and was organised by James Saunders and Ben Matthews. This joint meeting was timely because of recent landmark advances in molecular biology and genomics as well as the renewed interest in phytochemistry as a rich source of nutraceuticals, drugs, and alternatives to synthetic agriculture pesticides. Progress in genome sequencing in plants such as Arabidopsis and rice has been remarkable, as have expressed sequence tag (EST) projects in other plants, including maize and soybean. Recently, private and public sector participants of the Human Genome Project announced that a rough draft of the human genome has been constructed. These advances directly influence phytochemical investigations by providing both insight and tools for exploring and manipulating genomes.The chapters cover a wide range of applications from molecular biology to phytochemistry, and from basic studies on promoters and gene expression to pathway regulation and engineering with transformed plants. A number of noteworthy aspects emerge from this volume: applications of molecular biology to phytochemical practical problems are succeeding; newly emerging molecular tools promise to open new doors to discovery; and remarkable progress has already occurred in phytochemical pathway engineering.

The past decade has seen major advances in the cloning of genes encoding enzymes of plant secondary metabolism. This has been further enhanced by the recent project on the sequencing of the Arabidopsis genome. These developments provide the molecular genetic basis to address the question of the Evolution of Metabolic Pathways. This volume provides in-depth reviews of our current knowledge on the evolutionary origin of plant secondary metabolites and the enzymes involved in their biosynthesis. The chapters cover five major topics: 1. Role of secondary metabolites in evolution; 2. Evolutionary origins of polyketides and terpenes; 3. Roles of oxidative reactions in the evolution of secondary metabolism; 4. Evolutionary origin of substitution reactions: acylation, glycosylation and methylation; and 5. Biochemistry and molecular biology of brassinosteroids.