A Concise Review on Biological Activity of Tridax procumbens Linn

Tridax procumbens is a species of flowering plant belonging to family asteraceae and is the most potent species among 30 species. It is best known as widespread weed and pest plant. It is native to the tropical Americas but it has been introduced to tropical, subtropical and mild temperate regions worldwide. It is listed as a noxious weed in the United States and has a pest status. Some of the medicinally important species of the genus Tridax are: T. angustifolia, T. serboana, T. bicolor, T. accedens, T. dubia, T. erecta and T. rosea.

The plant bears white or yellow flowers with three toothed ray florets. The leaves are toothed and generally anchor shaped. Its fruit is hard achene covered with stiff hairs and having a feathery, plume like white pappus at one end. Calyx is represented by scales or reduced to pappus.

Antimicrobial and Phytochemical Properties of Alstonia Boonei Extracts

Medicinal plant is defined as any plant with one or more of its organs containing substance that can be used for therapeutic purpose or which can be used as precursors for the synthesis of antimicrobial drugs. Plants are presently the sources of medicines for many people of different agein many country of the world, where diseases are treated primarily with traditional medicines obtained from plants. The modern pharmaceutical industry itself still relies largely on the diversity of secondary metabolites in plants and secondary metabolites of which at least 12,000 have been isolated; a number estimated to be less than 10% of the total. In plants, the synthesized aromatic substances (metabolites) are used as defensive weapons against predation by microorganisms, insects and herbivores.

Alstonia boonei, a large evergreen tree belonging to the family Apocynaceae is one of the widely used medicinal plants in Africa and beyond. The important plants of genus Alstonia includes Alstonia scholaris, Alstonia boonei, Alstonia congensis and Alstonia macrophylla which have proved to be useful in various diseases.

Synthesis of Aryl Tetralone Derivatives by Chalcone Route

Podophyllotoxin is a potent antimitotic agent. Podophyllin is a resinous extract of medicinal plants Podophyllum emodi and Podophyllum peltatum belonging to the family Berbideraceae in which the podophyllotoxin is one of the main constituent. The toxicity of podophyllotoxin liberates as diarrhea, nausea, vomiting. Hence modifications in podophyllotoxin structure are required to reduce its toxicity and to enhance its biological activity. The biologically active and lesscytotoxic new tetralone intermediates of podophyllotoxin have been synthesized. The modification of podophyllotoxin structure might enhance the biological activity with favorable solubility and reduced toxicity. Some synthesized analogues of podophyllotoxin showed better antibacterial activity. The structures of the synthesized new tetralone compounds were confirmed by IR, 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR and Mass spectral data. They will be screened for biological activities.

It was planned to synthesize analogues of podophyllotoxin by modifying lactone ring-A with some linked to ring A is replaced by dimethoxy, methoxy, methyl, H. Chalcones 3a-d were prepared by Claisen-Schmidt reaction of acetophenone 1a-dwith 3, 4, 5-trimethoxybenzaldehyde separately in the presence of potassiumhydroxide in water-ethanol mixture. Cyclopropyl ketones 4a-d was prepared in good yields by the reaction of chalcones 2a-d with diiodomethane in presence of Zn-Cu couple.