Vitex negundo Linn is an important medicinal plant belonging to the Verbenaceae family. Every part of the plant is enriched with therapeutic value; hence the plant plays a pivotal role in traditional medicine systems. The presence of secondary metabolites such as alkaloids, flavonoids, terpenoids and phenolic compounds in the various plant parts are responsible for the anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial and anti-cancer properties which are being exploited in the treatment of cancer, cardiovascular diseases and so on. The major phytochemical components are Vitexin (8-(β-D-Glucopyranosyl)-4′,5,7-trihydroxyflavone), Isovitexin (5,7-dihydroxy-2-(4-hydroxyphenyl) 6[(2S,3R,4R,5S,6R)-3,4,5-trihydroxy-6-(hydroxymethyl) oxan-2-yl]chromen-4-one), Vitedoin and Negundin((7R,8S)-8-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-6, 7-bis(hydroxymethyl)-3-methoxy-7,8-dihydronaphthalen-2-ol). The scope of Vitex negundo as an adjuvant in modern medicine is huge. Therefore, this review focuses on research conducted till date to evaluate the phytochemical composition, and pharmacological activities of Vitex negundo medicinal plant.

The strains obtained by protoplast fusion were examined for their ability to remove toxic heavy metal ions, especially zinc ion. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) was conducted to detect the zinc uptake mechanism of Trichoderma parental and their fusant strains.FTIR results demonstrated the Zn ion uptake capacity of fusant strains was found to be higher than that of the parental strains (12.8 to 10.7 -1 mg g on a dry weight basis at 1300 ppm). The highest Zn ion mobility -1 observed was 62.1 mg. kg and the highest Zn ion mobility observed per strain was 12.4% in Tk+Tv 3, followed by 11.86 % in Tk + Tv 7, 11.84% in Tk + Tv 9 and 11.28% in Tk + Tv 10. Parental and fusant strains Tk + Tv 3, Tk + Tv 8 and Tk + Tv 10 confirmed the involvement of different functional groups for different concentrations of zinc during adsorption by the fungus.FTIR results identified greater metal removal capacity in the fusant strains, particularly for soil Zn ion. Zinc tolerance was higher in the fusant strains than in the parental strains. Thus, protoplast fusion is an effective and feasible method for constructing new strains that can be used for bioremediation of contaminated environments. Heavy metals, Protoplast fusion, Trichoderma spp., Zn tolerance Selection and characterization of novel zinc-tolerant Trichoderma strains obtained by protoplast fusion