Preface

Frontiers in Natural Product Chemistry presents recent advances in the chemistry and biochemistry of naturally occurring compounds. It covers a range of topics, including important researches on natural substances. The book is a valuable resource for pharmaceutical scientists and postgraduate students seeking updated and critically important information on bioactive natural products.

The five chapters in this volume are written by eminent authorities in the field. Chapter 1 presents an overview of different ways of production to obtain bioactive peptides from different underutilized plant sources, including from food, brewing and bioethanol industries. Chapter 2 deals with the research on the design of new fluoroquinolones with improved features by molecular hybridization technique. Chapter 3 deals with a pathway for waxy rice starch hydrolysis by a compressed hot water process. Chapter 4 deals with the most important marketed plant alkaloidal drugs and their metabolites. Chapter 5 provides an insight into the molecular basis of preventive and therapeutic effects of natural bioactive substances against cancer diseases.

I hope that the readers will find these reviews valuable and thought-provoking so that they may trigger further research in the quest for new and novel therapies against various diseases. I am grateful for the timely efforts made by the editorial personnel, especially Mr. Mahmood Alam (Director Publications), and Mrs. Salma Sarfaraz (Senior Manager Publications) at Bentham Science Publishers.