Plant-Derived Antimycotics: Current Trends and Future Prospects

by M.k. Rai, Donatella Mares

Overview

An important overview of the state of the art in naturally occurring antimycotics!Here is a comprehensive and innovative examination of the antimycotic potential of essential plant oils and extracts against fungal infections affecting humans, animals, plants, and foodstuffs. Plant-Derived Antimycotics emphasizes the antimycotic activity of plants found in Central America, India, Nepal, Fiji, and China--areas rich in phyto-diversity and traditional botanical/medical knowledge.From editor M.K. Rai: “Since the inception of human civilization men have been using herbs against various mycotic infections. In the recent past, several antimycotic agents have been introduced into the market due to their rapid curative properties. Still, the quest for new antifungal agents of a fungicidal rather than fungistatic nature continues. Furthermore, there has been a dramatic increase in the new spectrum of fungal infections known as opportunistic fungal pathogens. Consequently, plant-derived antimycotics are gaining importance, being natural, cheaper, safer, eco-friendly, and within the reach of the common man.”With a distinguished list of contributors from around the world, Plant-Derived Antimycotics explores:

• antifungal compounds that strengthen plant-defense systems
• traditional herbs that have revealed their antifungal properties
• newer, faster methods of screening and evaluating antifungal drugs
• natural antimycotics derived from plants in Croatia, South America, South Africa, China, India, and Fiji
• the mechanism of herbal antimycotic action
• the diversity of antimycotic efficacy in Asteraceous and Meliaceous plants
• new bioactive antifungal molecules

Plant-Derived Antimycotics is an essential reference for pharmacologists, microbiologists, clinical mycologists, oncologists, immunologists, drug manufacturers, botanists and ethnobotanists, phytochemists, herbalists, and everyone searching for a natural remedy for the new spectrum of opportunistic fungal infections generated by the immunocompromising difficulties encountered by AIDS and cancer patients. Color illustrations, photographs, charts, tables, and graphs make the information easier to absorb and understand.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781040277362
Publisher:	CRC Press
Publication date:	11/01/2024
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	612
File size:	40 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

M.k. Rai, Donatella Mares

Table of Contents

About the Editor , Contributors , Preface , Chapter 1. Overview: Oxidative Stress and Postharvest Produce , Active Oxygen Species , General AOS Activity , AOS Generation , Conclusion , Chapter 2. Postharvest Response of Horticultural Products to Ozone , Introduction , Ozone Chemistry , Physiological Effects on Plants , Postharvest Use on Fresh Produce , Conclusion and Topics for Further Research , Chapter 3. Low Temperature As a Causative Agent of Oxidative Stress in Postharvest Crops , Introduction , Chilling Injury , Low-Temperature Sweetening , Low-Temperature Stress-Related Quality Defects , Temperature Preconditioning to Inhibit Low-Temperature Oxidative Stress , Conclusion , Issues and Topics for Further Research , Chapter 4. Effects of Storage Conditions and Postharvest Procedures on Oxidative Stress in Fruits and Vegetables , Introduction , Maturity at Harvest , Storage Duration , Storage Temperature , Postharvest Water Loss , Controlled and Modified Atmospheres , Ethylene , Irradiation , Future Directions , Chapter 5. Superficial ScaldA Postharvest Oxidative Stress Disorder , Chemistry of Scald , Scald and Oxidative Stress Theories , Ethylene and Scald , Postharvest Scald Treatments to Control Oxidative Stress , Conclusion and Future Research Direction , Chapter 6. Oxidative Stress Affecting Fruit Senescence , Introduction , Oxidative Stress , Factors Affecting Oxidative Stress and Senescence , Recent Research into Fruit Oxidative Stress , Conclusion , Issues for Further Research , Chapter 7. Antioxidants , Introduction , Lipid-Soluble Membrane-Associated Antioxidants

Editorial Reviews

2 Stars from Doody

Reviewer: Stata Norton, PhD (University of Kansas Medical Center)
Description: Fungal infections may cause serious problems in humans, domesticated animals and cultivated plants. The theme of the diverse chapters in this book is to look for antimycotic chemicals produced by plants. Some of the 24 chapters contain lists of plants used in folk medicine in different locations (Croatia, Argentina, Africa, Palestine, Nepal and Fiji). Some new screening methods for in vitro evaluation of plant extracts are described. Two major groups of plant-derived chemicals, essential oils and triterpenic glycosides, with antifungal properties for dermatophytes are covered in some detail. Cultivated crops are subject to serious fungal infections and several chapters discuss the roles of glucanases, chitinases and phytoalexins in plant defenses.
Purpose: The intent of this book, as stated in the foreword, is to provide specialized information on plant-derived antifungal agents and to identify and characterize these phytochemicals. A major reason for searching for new antimycotic agents from plants is that human fungal infections are increasing as the number of immunocompromised patients increases. Systemic fungal infections are of particular concern. Authors of several chapters express the hope that natural products will have fewer side effects in clinical use than synthetic antifungal drugs, although clinical tests are not the focus of this book.
Audience: The main audience is those persons interested in a preliminary assessment of a diverse selection of phytochemicals as antifungal agents and, for some plant extracts, a brief description of their use in folk medicine. Some chapters offer a more in-depth review of specific fungal infections, such as the pathogenic fungus affecting rice crops, and would interest horticulturists involved in developing new antifungal agents.
Features: Systemic fungal infections in patients with compromised immune systems are serious conditions and effective new drugs against specific fungal pathogens would be useful. However, most of the phytochemicals described in this book are considered for use in dermatophytic infections of the skin and mucosal surfaces. The antimycotic activities of essential oils from a wide range of plants are reviewed. Considerable testing has been carried out by investigators in several countries showing that some essential oils are effective in vitro against some dermatophytes. Two chapters are devoted to fungi affecting rice cultivation. The mechanism by which some plant chemicals (phytoalexins) induce resistance to rice blast disease is reviewed. Several saponins are as effective as griseofulvin in vitro against rice blast fungus. Structures of these are given. The authors conclude that the studies open up new areas of antimycotic research not only for treatment of phytopathogens but also for human fungal infections.
Assessment: Depending on the interest of the reader, the chapters in this book giving lists of plants used in folk medicine against fungal infections in various countries may be a source of information. Other chapters containing analysis of specific chemical components in plant extracts and results of screening for in vitro activity against selected fungal pathogens may offer suggestions for further study of these chemicals, especially in topical use against human dermatophytes such as ringworm. In general, the reviews offer little detailed comparison of the phytochemicals with synthetic chemicals currently available for the same purposes.

Doody's Review Service