Research |
Laboratory Natural Product Chemistry has been a part of the Institute of Organic Chemistry since its opening in 1968. The lab was founded by the prominent Bulgarian chemists, Prof. I. Ognyanov, Prof. N. Mollov, Prof. N. Marekov. In 1977, it became a subdivision of the Centre of Phytochemistry, established within a joint project of the Bulgarian Government, UNDP and UNESCO. Significant part of our research is dedicated to Bulgarian medicinal and aromatic plants, which are particularly diverse and numerous in our country. Our interests are directed mainly to the families Asteraceae, Lamiaceae, Scrofulariaceae, Fabaceae, Ranunculaceae, Papaveraceae, Solanaceae, Liliaceae, Zygophylaceae, Rosaceae, Apiaceae.
Our research is focused on alkaloids, flavonoids and other phenolics, triterpenic saponins, sesquiterpene lactones, essential oils and other biologically active compounds. An important part of our effort is the work on standardization of Bulgarian medicinal plants and extracts thereof. Our aim is to develop modern reliable methods of qualitative and quantitative analysis of the active components for quality control. Also, we are on search for new biologically active compounds from unexplored biological subjects, such as Bulgarian endemic plants, mushrooms, propolis, marine organisms from the Black Sea. We are interested mainly in antibacterial, antiviral and antioxidant substances. In both directions we work in close collaboration with biologists and pharmacologists.
Our major projects at present are on modern energy saving extraction methods for natural products, wild growing mushrooms, endemic Sideritis species, metabolomic analysis of Bulgarian grapevine cultivars, synthesis of biologically active chalcones, secndary metabolites in plants used as food.
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