Traditional medicinal practices play a key role in health care systems in countries with developing economies. The aim of this survey was to validate the use of traditional medicine within local Nigerian communities. In this review, we examine the ethnobotanical uses of selected plant species from the Nigerian flora and attempt to correlate the activities of the isolated bioactive principles with known uses of the plant species in African traditional medicine. Thirty-three(33) plant species were identified and about 100 out of the 120 compounds identified with these plants matched with the ethnobotanical uses of the plants.

Seven new drimane-type sesquiterpennoids, phellinuins A-G(1-7), together with one known compound 3β, 11, 12-trihydroxydrimene(8) were isolated from the cultures of mushroom Phellinus tuberculosus. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of NMR and MS spectroscopic data and by comparison with data reported in the literature.

Gaining a full understanding of the mechanisms of action of natural products as therapeutic agents includes observing the effects of natural products on cellular morphology, because abnormal cellular morphology is an important aspect of cellular transformations that occur as part of disease states. In this study a set of natural products was examined in search of small molecules that influence the cylindrical morphology of fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe. Imaging flow cytometry of large populations of S. pombe exposed to natural products captured cell images and revealed changes in mean length and aspect ratio of cells. Several natural products were found to alter S. pombe's morphology relative to control, in terms of elongating cells, shrinking them, or making them more round. These results may facilitate future investigations into methods by which cells establish and maintain specific shapes.

Three minor microcystins have been isolated from a Planktothrix rubescens strain. Their structures have been elucidated by one-and two-dimensional NMR spectroscopy and high-resolution tandem mass spectrometry as the compounds[Asp³,(E)-Dhb⁷]MC-LY(1), [Asp³,(E)-Dhb⁷]MC-HtyW(2), and[Asp³,(E)-Dhb⁷]MC-LW(3). The amino acids found at the variable positions 2 and 4 of the microcystin core structure are in accordance with the predicted amino acid substrate activation selectivities of the non-ribosomal peptide synthetases McyA and McyB described earlier for this strain. All structural microcystin variants produced by this strain were shown to inhibit protein phosphatase 1 in the nanomolar range.

Three hitherto unknown taxane diterpenoids, namely baccatin VIII(1), baccatin IX(2), and baccatin X(3), along with 10 known analogues were isolated from an ethanolic extract of the twigs and leaves of Taxus yunnanensis. The new structures were characterized based on extensive spectroscopic analysis. Compounds 1 and 2 were tested for their in vitro cytotoxicity against five human tumor cell lines, and 1 exhibited inhibitory effects on HL-60 and MCF-7, with IC₅₀ values of 3.44 and 9.67 μM, respectively.

Three new compounds, including two diterpenoids, nemoralisins H and I(1 and 2), and a limonoid, 2-methoxy khayseneganin E(3), along with four known constituents(4-7), were isolated from the leaves and twigs of Swietenia mahagoni. Their chemical structures were elucidated by means of spectroscopic analysis. The cytotoxities of these isolated constituents were assayed.