Studies on Bioactive Natural Products of Family Malvaceae

Malvaceae is a cosmopolitan family and Abutilon is one of the important genuses of this family. Phytochemical investigations of two species of this genus, namely, Abutilon indicum L. and Abutilon muticum Del ex Dc. were carried out with respect to the isolation and characterization of their chemical constituents, seed oil fatty acids composition, antibacterial, antifungal, antioxidant and hepatoprotective activities of the crude extracts of different parts. The isolated compounds from the present work, were characterized by using various modern spectroscopic techniques. The results lead to the conclusion that aerial part and root extracts of both A. indicum and A. muticum had powerful antiradical and antioxidant activity which may be helpful in controlling complications during degenerative diseases. As Abutilon species grow wildly as weeds in tropical and sub tropical areas under harsh conditions, they may be produced on a large scale as value added products.