Natural Bio-Active Compounds: Volume 1: Production and Applications

Bioactive compounds produced by natural sources, such as plants, microbes, endophytic fungi, etc., can potentially be applied in various fields, including agriculture, biotechnology and biomedicine. Several bioactive compounds have proved to be invaluable in mediating plant-microbe interactions, and promoting plant growth and development. Due to their numerous health-promoting properties, these compounds have been widely used as a source of medication since ancient times.

However, there is an unprecedented need to meet the growing demand for natural bioactive compounds in the flavor and fragrance, food, and pharmaceutical industries. Moreover, discovering new lead molecules from natural sources is essential to overcoming the rising number of new diseases. In this regard, natural bioactive compounds hold tremendous potential for new drug discovery. Therefore, this field of research has become a vital area for researchers interested in understanding the chemistry, biosynthetic mechanisms, and pharmacological activities of these bioactive metabolites. This book describes the basics of bioactive plant compounds, their chemical properties, and their pharmacological biotechnological properties with regard to various human diseases and applications in the drug, cosmetics and herbal industries. It offers a valuable asset for all students, educators, researchers, and healthcare experts involved in agronomy, ecology, crop science, molecular biology, stress physiology, and natural products.

Dr. Mohd Sayeed Akhtar (PhD) is an Assistant Professor at Gandhi Faiz-e-Aam College, Shahjahanpur, UP, India. He received his PhD degree from Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), India in 2008, prior to conducting post-doctoral research at the Botanical Institute, University of Basel (BIB), Switzerland (2008-2010), and at Chonbuk National University (CBNU), Republic of Korea in 2011. He was an Assistant Professor at Jimma University, Ethiopia (2011-2014), and a fellow researcher at the Institute of Tropical Agriculture, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), (2014-2015). Dr. Akhtar has more than 15 years of research and 10 years of teaching experience in soil microbiology, applied microbiology, environmental microbiology, molecular biology, plant pathology and plant nanobiotechnology. He has authored or co-authored more than one hundred articles in peer-reviewed journals, conference proceedings, and book chapters, and has edited 10 books with international publishers. Further, he serves as an editorial board member and reviewer for several high-impact international journals. His current research is focused on rhizospheric plant-microbe interactions and molecular biotechnology, bioremediation, biomineralization, nano-fertilizers and nanobiotechnology.

Dr. Mallappa Kumara Swamy (PhD) is a Professor and Head of the Department of Biotechnology at East West College of Science, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India. He completed his postdoctoral research at the Department of Crop Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia. Before that, he had worked as an Associate Professor and Head of the Department of Biotechnology, Padmashree Institute of Management and Sciences, Bangalore University, Bengaluru, India. He received his PhD (Biotechnology) from Acharya Nagarjuna University, Guntur, India in 2013. He has more than 15 years of teaching and research experience in the fields of plant biotechnology, secondary metabolite production, phytochemistry and bioactive studies. Dr. Swamy has authored 80 research publications in peer-reviewed journals and 16 book chapters. Recently, he has edited four books published by Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd., Singapore. He also serves as an editorial board member and reviewer for several high-impact international journals. His current research is focused on cell and tissue culture technology for bioactive compound production, and on nanotechnology for medical applications.

Dr. Uma Rani Sinniah (PhD) is a Professor at the Department of Crop Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM). She has more than 35 years of teaching and research experience in the fields of plant biology, seed technology, cryobiology, germplasm conservation, and plant secondary metabolites, and has successfully completed several projects supported by various national and international funding bodies. She has published more than 95 research articles in peer-reviewed journals, and eight book chapters. Her current research is focused on seed science and technology, cryopreservation, plant cell and tissue culture, and secondary metabolite production.