Front Cover -- Medicinal Plant Research in Africa -- Copyright Page -- Contents -- About the Editor -- Preface -- List of Contributors -- 1 Monoterpenes and Related Compounds from the Medicinal Plants of Africa -- 1.1 Introduction -- 1.2 Biosynthesis and Structural Diversity -- 1.2.1 Biosynthetic Pathways -- 1.2.1.1 Isoprene Rule -- 1.2.1.2 Acyclic Compounds and Cyclohexane Derivatives -- 1.2.1.2.1 Hypotheses -- 1.2.1.3 Cyclopentane Derivatives -- 1.2.1.3.1 General -- 1.2.1.3.2 Other Iridoids and Related Compounds -- 1.2.1.3.3 Indole Alkaloid -- 1.2.1.3.4 Irregular Structures -- 1.3 Monoterpenes Isolated from African Medicinal Plants and Their Pharmacological Activities -- 1.4 New Monoterpenes Isolated in African Medicinal Plants -- 1.5 Other Monoterpenes in African Medicinal Plants -- 1.6 Conclusion -- References -- 2 Sesquiterpenes from the Medicinal Plants of Africa -- 2.1 Introduction -- 2.1.1 Detection of Sesquiterpenes in Plant Extracts -- 2.1.2 Basic Skeletons and Nomenclature of Sesquiterpenes -- 2.1.3 Known Pharmacological Activities of Sesquiterpenes -- 2.2 Biosynthesis and Structural Diversity -- 2.3 Pharmacological Activities of Sesquiterpenes Isolated from African Medicinal Plants -- 2.3.1 Antimicrobial Activity of Sesquiterpenes Identified in African Medicinal Plants -- 2.3.2 Antiplasmodial Activity and Cytotoxicity of Sesquiterpenes Identified in African Medicinal Plants -- 2.3.3 Other Activities of Sesquiterpenes Isolated from African Medicinal Plants -- 2.4 New Sesquiterpenes Isolated from Medicinal Plants of Africa -- 2.5 Other Sesquiterpenes in Medicinal Plants of Africa -- 2.6 Conclusion -- References -- 3 Diterpenoids from the Medicinal Plants of Africa -- 3.1 Introduction -- 3.2 Biosynthesis and Structural Diversity -- 3.3 Nomenclature and Identification of Diterpenoids -- 3.3.1 Nomenclature of Diterpenoids.

3.3.2 Identification of Diterpenoids -- 3.4 Pharmacological Activities of Diterpenoids Isolated from African Medicinal Plants -- 3.4.1 Structural Diversities of Diterpenoids Isolated from African Medicinal Plants -- 3.4.2 Antimicrobial Activities of Diterpenes Identified in African Medicinal Plants -- 3.4.3 Cytotoxicity of Diterpenes Identified in African Medicinal Plants -- 3.4.4 Other Diterpenoids from African Medicinal Plants -- 3.5 Conclusions -- References -- 4 Triterpenes and Steroids from the Medicinal Plants of Africa -- 4.1 Introduction -- 4.2 Biosynthesis and Structural Diversity -- 4.3 Phytochemical Detection of Triterpenoids and NMR Identification -- 4.3.1 Phytochemical Identification -- 4.3.2 NMR Identification -- 4.4 Nomenclature of Triterpenoids -- 4.5 New Triterpenoids Isolated from African Medicinal Plants -- 4.5.1 Triterpenes Isolated from African Medicinal Plants -- 4.5.2 New Limonoids and Quassinoids Obtained from African Medicinal Plants -- 4.5.3 New Steroids Isolated from African Medicinal Plants -- 4.5.4 New Saponins Isolated from African Medicinal Plants -- 4.6 Triterpene and Steroids Isolated from African Medicinal Plants and Their Pharmacological Activities -- 4.7 Other Triterpenoids from African Medicinal Plants -- 4.8 Conclusions -- References -- 5 Essential Oils from the Medicinal Plants of Africa -- 5.1 Introduction -- 5.2 Classification of Essential Oils -- 5.3 Chemical Composition of Essential Oils -- 5.4 Biological Activity of Essential Oils from African Medicinal Plants -- 5.4.1 Antimicrobial Activity -- 5.4.2 Antioxidant Activity -- 5.4.3 Cytotoxicity -- 5.4.4 Larvicidal Activity -- 5.5 Conclusion -- References -- 6 Simple Phenols, Phenolic Acids, and Related Esters from the Medicinal Plants of Africa -- 6.1 Introduction -- 6.2 Biosynthesis of Phenolic Compounds and Structural Diversity.

6.2.1 Shikimic Acid Pathway -- 6.2.2 The Phenylpropanoid Pathway -- 6.3 Simple Phenols, Phenolic Acids, and Related Ethers Isolated from African Medicinal Plants and Their Pharmacological Act... -- 6.3.1 Simple Phenols and Related Compounds -- 6.3.2 Phenolic Acids, Phenylacetic Acids, and Phenolic Aldehydes -- 6.3.3 Acetophenones, Benzophenones and their Derivatives -- 6.4 New Simple Phenols, Phenolic Acids, and Related Ethers Isolated in African Medicinal Plants -- 6.5 Other Simple Phenols, Phenolic Acids, and Related Ethers in African Medicinal Plants -- 6.6 Conclusions -- References -- 7 Phenylpropanoids and Related Compounds from the Medicinal Plants of Africa -- 7.1 Introduction -- 7.2 Biosynthesis of Phenylpropanoids and Structural Diversity -- 7.3 Phenylpropanoids Isolated from African Medicinal Plants and Their Pharmacological Activity -- 7.3.1 Antimicrobial Activities of Phenylpropanoids and Phenylethanoids Identified in African Medicinal Plants -- 7.3.2 Other Activities of Phenylpropanoids Identified in African Medicinal Plants -- 7.4 New Phenylpropanoids Isolated in African Medicinal Plants -- 7.5 Conclusion -- References -- 8 Coumarins and Related Compounds from the Medicinal Plants of Africa -- 8.1 Introduction -- 8.2 Biosynthesis and Structural Diversity -- 8.3 Detection of Coumarin in Plant Extracts -- 8.4 Pharmacological Activity of Coumarins Isolated from African Medicinal Plants -- 8.4.1 Antimicrobial Coumarins Isolated from African Medicinal Plants -- 8.4.2 Antiinflammatory Coumarins from African Medicinal Plants -- 8.4.3 Cytotoxic Coumarins Identified from African Medicinal Plants -- 8.4.4 Enzyme Inhibitory Coumarins Isolated from African Medicinal Plants -- 8.4.5 Antioxidant Coumarins Identified in African Medicinal Plants -- 8.4.6 Other Activities Associated with Coumarins Identified in African Medicinal Plants.

8.5 New Coumarins Isolated in African Medicinal Plants -- 8.6 Other Coumarins in African Medicinal Plants -- 8.7 Coumarin-Related Compounds from African Medicinal Plants -- 8.8 Conclusion -- References -- 9 Flavonoids and Related Compounds from the Medicinal Plants of Africa -- 9.1 Introduction -- 9.2 Biosynthesis and Structural Diversity -- 9.3 Characterization of Flavonoids in Plant Extracts -- 9.3.1 Ferric Chloride Test -- 9.3.2 Shinoda's Test -- 9.3.3 Sodium Hydroxide Test -- 9.3.4 Quantification -- 9.3.5 Test for Flavonoid Glycosides -- 9.4 Pharmacological Activities of Flavonoids and Related Compounds Isolated from African Medicinal Plants -- 9.4.1 Antimicrobial Flavonoids Isolated from African Medicinal Plants -- 9.4.2 Cytotoxicity of Flavonoids Isolated from African Medicinal Plants -- 9.4.3 Anti-Inflammatory Flavonoids Identified in African Medicinal Plants -- 9.4.4 Antidiabetes Flavonoids Isolated in African Medicinal Plants -- 9.4.5 Antioxidant Flavonoids Isolated from African Medicinal Plants -- 9.4.6 Other Activities -- 9.5 Flavonoids and Related Compounds Newly Identified in African Medicinal Plants -- 9.6 Conclusions -- References -- 10 Quinones and Benzophenones from the Medicinal Plants of Africa -- 10.1 Introduction -- 10.2 Biosynthesis and Structural Diversity -- 10.2.1 Biosynthesis of Quinones -- 10.2.1.1 Acetate-Malonate Pathway -- 10.2.1.1.1 Tetraketides -- 10.2.1.1.2 Pentaketides -- 10.2.1.1.3 Hexaketides -- 10.2.1.1.4 Heptaketides -- 10.2.1.1.5 Octaketides -- 10.2.1.1.6 Nonaketides -- 10.2.1.1.7 Decaketides -- 10.2.1.2 Shikimate Pathway -- 10.2.1.2.1 Shikimic Acid Pathway -- 10.2.1.2.2 Shikimic-α-Ketoglutaric Acids Pathway -- 10.2.1.2.3 Quinones Derived from Shikimate and Mevalonate Pathway -- 10.2.1.3 Kojic Acid Pathway -- 10.2.2 Biosynthesis of Benzophenones.

10.3 Quinones and Benzophenones Isolated from African Medicinal Plants -- 10.3.1 Naphthoquinones -- 10.3.2 Benzoquinones -- 10.3.3 Anthraquinones -- 10.4 Benzophenones Identified in African Medicinal Plants -- 10.4.1 Pharmacological Activity of Quinones Identified in African Medicinal Plants -- 10.5 Structural Elucidation of Quinones -- 10.5.1 Chemical Methods -- 10.5.2 Color Reactions -- 10.5.3 Spectroscopic Methods -- 10.5.3.1 Ultraviolet and Visible Spectrophotometry -- 10.5.3.1.1 Benzoquinones -- 10.5.3.1.2 Naphthaquinones -- 10.5.3.1.3 Anthraquinones -- 10.5.3.2 Infrared Spectrometry -- 10.5.3.3 Proton Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (1H-NMR) Spectrometry -- 10.5.3.4 Mass Spectrometry -- 10.5.4 Degradation Reactions -- 10.5.5 Electron Spin Resonance Spectroscopy -- 10.6 Conclusion -- References -- 11 Xanthones and Anthranoids from the Medicinal Plants of Africa -- 11.1 Introduction -- 11.2 Biosynthesis and Structural Diversity -- 11.2.1 Xanthones -- 11.2.2 Anthrones -- 11.3 Characterization of Xanthones and Anthrones in Plants -- 11.3.1 Detection of Xanthones -- 11.3.2 Detection of Anthrones -- 11.4 Xanthones Isolated from African Medicinal Plants and Their Pharmacological Activities -- 11.4.1 Antimicrobial Activities of Xanthones Identified in African Medicinal Plants -- 11.4.2 Cytotoxicity of Xanthones Identified in African Medicinal Plants -- 11.4.3 Enzymatic Inhibitory Activities of Xanthones Identified in African Medicinal Plants -- 11.4.4 Antioxidant Activities of Xanthones Identified in African Medicinal Plants -- 11.4.5 Other Biological Activities of Xanthones Identified in African Medicinal Plants -- 11.5 Pharmacological Activities of Anthrones Identified in African Medicinal Plants -- 11.6 Some Particular Aspects of New Xanthones Isolated in African Medicinal Plants -- 11.7 Other Xanthones Identified in African Medicinal Plants.

11.8 Conclusion.