PHARMACEUTICALS FROM ZIMBABWEAN TRADITIONAL MEDICINE

该项目的长期目标是以传统的津巴布韦民族药理学为指导，发现新的抗感染和抗肿瘤药物。该项目将涉及收集植物材料，这些材料在津巴布韦马塔贝兰的恩德贝莱人的传统医药中已经有过应用的历史。我们将集中于那些显示出抗感染活性的植物(即那些传统上用于治疗伤口、皮肤病、性病、感染等的植物)。以及抗肿瘤活性，但尚未经过植物化学检测。将提取植物材料，并对粗提物进行生物活性筛选(抗微生物，包括抗疱疹活性和细胞毒活性)。具有良好生物活性的提取物将进行活性导向层析分离，以分离和纯化活性成分。活性成分将使用光谱学和结晶学技术进行鉴定。这项研究提供了一个绝佳的机会，以确定新的植物化学制剂，可用于抗击新出现的传染病，机会性或抗药性微生物和癌症治疗剂。这个项目的一个特别吸引人的特点是研究的跨学科和跨机构的特点。这项拟议的研究涉及来自阿拉巴马州亨茨维尔所有三所高等教育机构的研究人员前所未有的研究合作：历史上黑人/私立的奥克伍德学院，历史上黑人的阿拉巴马A和M大学，以及亨茨维尔的阿拉巴马大学。这一合作为教职员工和学生研究人员之间的互动提供了机会，并允许更多地从三个参与校区进入不同的设施，这三个校区彼此之间的距离都在6英里以内。此外，与津巴布韦大学和津巴布韦国家植物标本馆和植物园的合作为了解非洲该地区的民族植物学和文化传统提供了独特的途径。这项研究项目为来自三个不同院校的本科生提供了极好的实践经验，这三个院校在本科科学素质教育方面已经有了传统。

The long term objectives of this project are the discovery of new anti-infective and anti-tumor agents using traditional Zimbabwean ethnopharmacology as a guide. This project will involve the collection of plant materials which already have a history of applications in the traditional medicine of the Ndebele people from Matabeleland, Zimbabwe. We will concentrate on plants which show promise for anti-infective activity (i.e., those used traditionally for the treatment of wounds, skin diseases, venereal diseases, infections, etc.) and for anti-tumor activity, but which have not been examined phytochemically. Plant materials will be extracted and the crude extracts screened for biological activity (antimicrobal, including anti-herpes activity, and cytotoxic activity). Extracts which show promising bioactivity will be subjected to activity-directed chromatographic separation in order to isolate and purify the active components. The active constituents will be identified using spectroscopic and crystallographic techniques. This research provides an excellent opportunity to identify novel phytochemical agents which could serve to combat emerging infectious diseases, opportunistic or drug resistant microorganisms and therapeutic agents for cancer. An especially attractive feature of this project is the inter-disciplinary and inter-institutional character of the research. The proposed research involves an unprecedented research collaboration among investigators from all three institutions of higher education in Huntsville, Alabama: the historically black/private Oakwood College, historically black Alabama A and M University, and the University of Alabama in Huntsville. The collaboration provides opportunities for interaction among faculty members and student researchers, and allows greater access to different facilities from the three participating campuses, all of which lie within six miles of each other. In addition, the collaboration with the University of Zimbabwe and the National Herbarium and Botanic Garden of Zimbabwe brings unique access to the ethnobotanical and cultural traditions of that part of Africa. This research project provides excellent hands-on experiences for undergraduate students from three different institutions which already have a tradition in quality undergraduate science education.