Alfa Chemistry offers a wide range of plant extract products with different biological activities that can be used as medical materials.
Alfa Chemistry announced that they have decided to provide plant-derived materials of medical care to expand their production lines from February 22, 2019. And due to the special requirements of materials in the field of medical care, Alfa Chemistry offers a wide range of plant extract products with different biological activities that can be used as medical materials.
Medicinal plant extracts have a number of therapeutic activities including antibacterial, anti-oxidant, anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer and other activities. Today, more and more medicinal plant extracts have become substitute for synthetic drugs. Due to the availability and chemical diversity of the bioactive ingredients of medicinal plant extracts, they offer unlimited possibilities for the development of new drugs.
Functions of Plant-derived Materials in Medical Care Industry
Antioxidant function
The human body has an oxidizing system and an antioxidant system, and under normal conditions, the two systems are in a state of dynamic equilibrium. However, when the antioxidant system cannot remove excess free radicals and toxic products produced by itself, excessive free radicals and toxic products not only cause various metabolic diseases, but also causes lipid peroxidation, which in turn causes damage to lipids in cells and organelle membranes. There are many oxidases in the organism, such as P-450 enzyme, xanthine oxidase (XOD), lipoxygenase, myeloperoxidase (MPO), etc. These enzymes can induce a large number of free radicals. Studies have shown that many plant extracts have inhibitory effects on various oxidases described above, thereby inhibiting the generation of free radicals from the source. For example, quercetin and curcumin in flavonoids can inhibit the activity of iNOS during ischemia-reperfusion injury, thereby exerting an antioxidant effect; Gynostemma pentaphyllum can reduce the abnormally increased activity of XOD and MPO, and alleviate oxidative stress in the kidneys of diabetic rats. The antioxidant active ingredients of plant extracts mainly include alkaloids, saponins, vitamins, polyphenols, polypeptides and polysaccharides.
Antibacterial function
Plant extracts isolated from some plants are considered to be good substitutes for chemically synthesized antimicrobials. For example, some traditional medicinal plant extracts can inhibit the growth of oral pathogens and alleviate the symptoms of oral diseases. Reports on antimicrobial activity of many plants and reports of antimicrobial resistant pathogenic microorganisms have been scientifically proven. Studies have shown that ethanolic extracts of Punica granatum, Syzygium aromaticum, Zingiber officinales and Thymus vulgaris have antibacterial activity against Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Salmonella typhi. P. granatum and S. aromaticum ethanol extracts are the most effective plant extracts and have bacteriostatic and bactericidal activity against highly susceptible foodborne pathogenic bacteria (S. aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa) strains. These plant extracts have proven to be potentially effective as natural preservatives to protect food, control food poisoning, and avoid potential health hazards of chemical antibacterials.
Anticancer function
Natural plant extracts are believed to have lower toxic side effects than current chemotherapy. These plants are believed to produce naturally occurring secondary metabolites. Their anticancer activity may contribute to the development of new clinical drugs. The extract of terrestrial plants contains some compounds having anticancer properties, such as polyphenolic compounds and paclitaxel compounds. Studies have shown that plant extracts from Urtica membranacea can inhibit actual tumor progression in a mouse model of breast adenocarcinoma, showing particularly strong anti-cancer capabilities.
“Considering the increasing demand for plant-derived materials in medical care industry, we have decided to provide a variety of plant extract products with special biological activities that can be used as medical materials.” Said Brenda Randy, the Marketing Manager of Alfa Chemistry. “Prior to this, we have introduced plant extracts for the food and cosmetic industries and have achieved good sales.”
About Alfa Chemistry
Alfa Chemistry offers an extensive catalog of building blocks, reagents, catalysts, reference materials, and research chemicals in a wide range of applications. It also provides analytical services and laboratory services to the customers. Products listed on the website are either in stock or can be resynthesized within a reasonable time frame. In stock products can be shipped out within 3-5 business days upon receipt of customers’ purchase order.
More than 300 different organizations from at least 40 countries worldwide have used Alfa Chemistry’s products and services since its inception. A large part of Alfa Chemistry’s customers are pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, including Pfizer, Novartis, Merck & Co., Johnson & Johnson, AstraZeneca, and Bayer. Alfa Chemistry is also a preferred partner for many universities and non-profit institutes.
