Neocarya macrophylla belongs to the Chrysobalanaceae family and is extensively used in folk medicine as an antibacterial, antivenin, antiasthmatic, anticancer, analgesic and anti-inflammatory agent. This study was aimed at isolation and characterization of compounds from the stem bark of Neocarya macrophylla. Pulverized plant material was exhaustively extracted with methanol using maceration method and concentrated invacuo with the aid of rotary evaporator at 40 o C to afford a reddish brown crude methanol extract (ME). The methanol extract was successively partitioned into hexane, dichloromethane, ethylacetate, n-butanol and aqueous fractions. Stigmasterol was isolated from the hexane fraction and a catechin glycoside, Bis-(5,7-diacetyl-catechin-4'-α-rhamnopyranoside) was isolated from the ethylacetate soluble fraction using a combination of silica gel column, gel filtration (sephadex LH-20) and preparative thin layer chromatography. The structures of the compounds were established on the basis of chemical tests, spectroscopic analysis and by comparison with reference spectral data.

Proteases are validated drug target for inhibition of Plasmodium falciparum, the most virulent malaria parasite. This study guided by previous reports, designed trimethoxy benzaldehyde chalcone derivatives as potential protease inhibitors and antimalarial agents. They were synthesized by Schmidt-Claisen condensation reaction. The structures of these compounds were established using Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), Proton, Carbon-13, as well as twodimensional nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, and Mass Spectrometry (MS). The synthesized compounds were screened for in-vivo antimalarial activity in mice infected with Plasmodium berghei parasite, using curative model. (E)-1-(2,4-dimethoxyphenyl)-3-(2,3,4trimethoxy-phenyl) prop-2-en-1-one (P2) displayed a significant activity, with activity comparable to that of quinine (10 mgkg-1) and chloroquine (25 mg kg-1) at a dose of 100 mgkg-1 in the curative test. However, (E)-1,3-bis(2,3,4-trimethoxyphenyl) prop-2-en-1-one (P1) and (E)-1-(2,4-dichlorophenyl)-3-(2,3,4-trimethoxyphenyl) prop-2-en-1-one (P13) did not show any significant activity (p < 0.05). Compound P2 was found to be devoid of electron deficient ring A (benzaldehyde ring). This suggests that, electron density on the rings are not determinants for antimalarial activity of the chalcone as proposed earlier and, present compound P2 as a candidate for further optimization and evaluation for prophylactic and suppressive activities.

Leaves of Tapinanthus dodoneifolius is used as traditional medicine for the treatment of menstrual   pain, wound, gonorrhea, and control of diarrhea and dysentery which was extracted by cold maceration in methanol. The concentrated methanol extract was subsequently partitioned with petroleum ether, chloroform, ethylacetate and n-butanol. Agar well Diffusion method was used to determine the antimicrobial activities of the extracts against Staphylococcus aureaus, Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiela pneumonia, Salmmnella typhi, Streptococcus pyogenes, Candida krusei, Candida tropicalis, and Candida albican at different concentrations. Antimicrobial sensitivity test indicated that, the extract inhibited the growth of all microorganisms to varying degrees except Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Candida krusei respectively. The in vitro   antimicrobial screening revealed that, the extracts exhibited diverse activities against different microbe’s concentrations ranging from 2.5mg/ml-5mg/ml. The plant extract was found to contain flavonoids, terpenoids, saponins, tannins and cardiac glycosides which may be responsible for its antimicrobial properties. The result justifies the traditional use of the plant leaf in the treatment of menstrual   pain, sexual transmitted diseases, wounds and control of dysentery and diarrhea.

Chemical investigation into the composition of Cissus polyantha tuber, a plant used in Northern Nigerian ethno medicine for managing inflammatory conditions and conjunctivitis has led to the isolation of a chalcone from the ethyl acetate and a steroid from the hexane soluble fractions of its methanol extract. The structures of these compounds were elucidated by extensive analysis of their spectroscopic data, including 1 and 2D nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). This is the first report of the isolation of the compounds from the plant and they may be responsible for the previously reported antiinflammatory effects.

Background:Medicinal plants remain one of the largest reservoirs of new bioactive compounds. In this study, a new prenylated benzo-lactone (4, 6-dihydroxy-5-methoxy-3-(1, 2, 3, 4, 5-pentahydroxypentyl)-2-benzofuran-1(3H)-one) was isolated from the acetone extracts of the rhizome of Cissus cornifolia. The antimicrobial activity of the compound was evaluated against some microorganisms including Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella typhi, and Candida albicans.Materials and Methods:The acetone extracts of the rhizome of C. cornifolia was separated and purified by various chromatographic techniques. The structure of the isolated compound was characterized by analysis of spectral data including one and two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance.Results:The isolated compound was characterized as (4, 6-dihydroxy-5-methoxy-3-(1, 2, 3, 4, 5-pentahydroxypentyl)-2-benzofuran-1(3H)-one), it showed activity against 6 out of 10 tested clinical isolates of some microorganisms including S. aureus, S. typhi, and C. albicans. The inhibition zones ranged between 17 mm and 25 mm. The inhibition zones observed compare favorably with the positive control used.Conclusion:The compound could serve as a lead for the development of more potent antimicrobial agent. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of the isolation and characterization as well as antimicrobial screening of the compound.