PHARMACEUTICALS FROM ZIMBABWEAN TRADITIONAL MEDICINE

该项目的长期目标是利用津巴布韦传统民族药理学作为指导，发现新的抗感染和抗肿瘤药物。该项目将包括收集已经在津巴布韦马塔贝莱兰恩德贝莱人的传统医学中有应用历史的植物材料。我们将把重点放在具有抗感染活性（即传统上用于治疗伤口、皮肤病、性病、感染等）和抗肿瘤活性，但尚未进行植物化学检查的植物上。提取植物材料，并对粗提取物进行生物活性筛选（抗菌，包括抗疱疹活性和细胞毒活性）。对具有生物活性的提取物进行活性定向色谱分离，以分离和纯化其活性成分。有效成分将被识别使用光谱和晶体技术。这项研究为鉴定新的植物化学制剂提供了一个极好的机会，这些植物化学制剂可用于对抗新出现的传染病、机会性或耐药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。拟议中的研究涉及阿拉巴马州亨茨维尔所有三所高等教育机构的研究人员之间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大学，以及亨茨维尔的阿拉巴马大学。这项合作为教师和学生研究人员之间的互动提供了机会，并允许更多地访问三个参与校园的不同设施，这些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室和植物园的合作为了解非洲这一地区的民族植物学和文化传统提供了独特的途径。本研究项目为来自三所不同院校的本科生提供了极好的实践经验，这三所院校在本科科学教育方面已有良好的传统。

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.