On the bases of ethnomedicinal and random plant collection approaches for searching out new pharmacologically bioactive agents, 45 Egyptian plant species belonging to 25 families were collected, and methanol extracts (52) were assayed in vitro for their antischistosomal and antimicrobial activities. Only extracts of Curcuma longa L. (Zingiberaceae) and Nerium oleander L. (Apocynaceae) were lethal to Schistosoma mansoni worms after a 24-h incubation period in a culture medium at concentration up to 100 µg/mL. The different successive organic extracts of C. longa showed variable activities and the greatest activity was exhibited by the chloroform extract (EC 50 = 28.92 and 31.58 µg/mL against male and female worms, respectively). On the other hand, the antimicrobial potency of the methanol extracts were tested using the disk diffusion method against three bacteria and two fungi species: Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Aspergillus niger, and Candida albicans. Three plants, Chamomilla recutita L. (Asteraceae), Buddleja hybrida Lour. (Buddlejaceae), and Glinus lotoides L. (Molluginaceae), showed the highest antimicrobial potency. Also, antimicrobial screening of the different organic solvent extracts of these three plants was investigated by measuring the diameter of inhibition zone. Finally, the active extracts were subjected to preliminary phytochemical analysis using chemical tests and thin-layer and paper chromatography to explore the major classes of natural products that may be responsible for their activity.

A range of novel substituted thieno [2,3-d]pyrimidinones are synthesized and screened for malluscicidal and larvicidal biological activity.

The methanol extract of the whole parts of Tribulus macropterus Boiss. (family Zygophyllaceae) showed cytotoxic activity against a human tumour cell line (hepatocyte generation 2, HepG2) (IC 50 = 2.9 μg/ml). The n-butanolic fraction obtained from successive fractionation of the methanolic extract exhibited activity against HepG2 (IC 50 = 2.6 μg/ml). Therefore, this fraction was subjected to separation using different chromatographic techniques. Five compounds, 1Ð5, were isolated and identified as: (22S,25S)-16 ,22,26-trihydroxy-cholest-4-en-3-one-16-O--d-glucopyranosyl-(153)--d-xylopyranoside (1), (22S,25S)-16 ,22,26-trihydroxy-cholest-4-en-3-one-16-O--d-glucopyranosyl-(153)--d-glucopyranoside (2), sucrose (3), d-pinitol (4) and 3 -hydroxy-5α-pregn-16(17)en-20-one-3-O--d-xylopyranosyl-(152)-[ -d-xylopyranosyl-(153)]--d-glucopyranosyl-(154)-[α-l-rhamnopyranosyl-(152)]--d-galactopyranoside (5) on the basis of spectroscopic and chemical data. The three steroidal compounds 1, 2 and 5 were also tested against the same cell line HepG2 and their IC 50 values were 2.4, 2.2 and 1.1 μg/ml, respectively.

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Dry powder and different extracts of Agave lophantha were tested against Biomphalaria alexandrina. The results showed that the butanol extract has high molluscicidal activity. The activity of the dry powder has been found to be stable under the effect of some simulated field conditions. Also the toxicological effect of the plant on mice was tested through determination of certain parameters such as total protein, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase and acid phosphatase enzymes as well as histopathological study on liver and kidney.