Valdir Cechinel-Filho, PhD, is Professor and Researcher at the Chemical-Pharmaceutical Investigations Center, University of Vale do Itajaí in Brazil. The editor of five books, seventeen contributed chapters, and over 250 scientific papers and reviews, Dr. Filho is also Associate Editor of Pharmaceutical Biology, a member of the editorial boards of several journals, and a reviewer for many journals, including European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, Natural Product Research, Planta Medica, and Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

• Contributors xvPreface xix1 Natural Products in Drug Discovery: Recent Advances 1Gordon M. Cragg, Paul G. Grothaus, and David J. Newman2 Modern Approaches in the Search for New Active Compounds from Crude Extracts of Natural Sources 43Emerson F. Queiroz, Kurt Hostettmann, and Jean-Luc Wolfender3 Natural Products as Lead Compounds in Medicinal Chemistry 81Eliezer J. Barreiro, Carlos A. M. Fraga, and Lidia M. Lima4 The Importance of Structural Manipulation of Natural Compounds in Drug Discovery and Development 127Arturo San Feliciano, María Á. Castro, José L. López-Pérez, and Esther del Olmo5 The Action of Plants and their Constituents on the Central Nervous System 161Fúlvio R. Mendes, Giuseppina Negri, Joaquim M. Duarte-Almeida, Ricardo Tabach, and Elisaldo A. Carlini6 The Role of Natural Products in Discovery of New Anti-Infective Agents with Emphasis on Antifungal Compounds 205Maximiliano Sortino, Marcos Derita, Laura Svetaz, Marcela Raimondi, Melina Di Liberto, Elisa Petenatti, Mahabir Gupta, and Susana Zacchino7 Antiulcer Agents from Higher Plants 241Luiz C. Klein-Júnior, José R. Santin, and Sérgio F. de Andrade8 Recent Progress in the Chemistry and Biology of Paclitaxel (TaxolTM) and Related Taxanes 263Jun Qi, Jielu Zhao, and David G. I. Kingston9 Cancer Chemopreventive Activity of Higher Plants 337A. Douglas Kinghorn, Yulin Ren, Jie Li, and Chung Ki Sung10 Medicinal Plants and Pharmaceutical Technology 359Ruth M. Lucinda da Silva, Angélica G. Couto, and Tania M.B. Bresolin11 Natural Products in Clinical Trials 395Sigrun Chrubasik12 The Influence of Biotic and Abiotic Factors on the Production of Secondary Metabolites in Medicinal Plants 419Dayana R. Gouvea, Leonardo Gobbo-Neto, and Norberto P. Lopes13 Production of Bioactives Compounds: The Importance of Pictet–Spengler Reaction in the XXI Century 453Pilar Menendez, Ilaria D’Acquarica, Giuliano Delle Monache, Francesca Ghirga, Andrea Calcaterra, Marco Barba, Alberto Macone, Alberto Boffi, Alessandra Bonamore, and Bruno Botta14 Screening Methods for Drug Discovery from Plants 489Alan L. Harvey15 Phytotherapeutics – Intellectual Property Rights, Global Market, and Global Regulatory Guidelines 499James D. McChesney, Raymond Cooper, and Kip Vought16 Cooperation Between the Pharmaceutical Industry and Academic Institutions in Drug Discovery 529Valdir Cechinel-Filho, Rivaldo Niero, and Rosendo A. YunesAcknowledgments 542References 542Index 545

“In conclusion, this book could be a useful guide not only for PhD students starting their activity in the field of plant metabolites, but also for more advanced researchers looking for a state-of-the-art overview of modern research in this fascinating field.”  (ChemMedChem, 1 March 2013)