Chemical Investigation of Medicinal Plants

Sesquiterpene lactones are reported to have potent biological activities which is due to presence of two basic structural features, -methylene -butyrolactone and the clopntenone moiety. Recent structure activity relationship have reveal that those structural features are essential for its anti-carcenogenic, antitumour, antimalarial and antibacterial activity.This class of compounds is the major constituents of medicinal plants of Asteraceae family. Chemical investigation of two medicinal plants of this family along with Lasia spinosa results in the isolation of one new sesqiterpene lactone, one new coumarine derivative and one new steroid molecule along with several known compounds.All the compounds have been characterized by modern spectroscopic means.The sesquiterpene lactone showed good activity against some human pathogenic bacteria.

Autorentext

Dr. Padma Acharyya had been awarded Ph.D. degree in Natural Products Chemistry in 2005. Presently he is working at Namrup College, Namrup, Assam, India as an Associate professor.His research field is isolation and characterization of bioactive molecules from medicinal plants.He has presented many research papers in national andinternationalsiminars