Société Phytochimique de L'Amérique du Nord

Sociedad Fitoquímica de América del Norte

PSNA Electronic Newsletter
Volume 36, No. 3 - March, 1997

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Editor: Dr. Alicja M. Zobel
Associate Editor: Dr. Stewart A. Brown

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Table of Contents
From the Editor
Research Report
Report of the Treasurer
Interim Financial Report
Joint Meeting of PSNA and PSE: Authors and Titles of Papers
Symposium Lectures
Contributed Posters
Information on the New PSNA Website
Upcoming Meetings

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From the Editor

This year the PSNA annual meeting is to be held jointly with the Phytochemical Society of Europe in The Netherlands, and the registration and abstract forms were included in the last issue. Normally the present issue would contain the abstracts of the symposium and of the contributed papers, but this year, owing to the special circumstances of a joint meeting, this is not feasible. Instead we are only itemizing the symposium lectures and contributed posters, listed in each case alphabetically by senior authors, and including institutions and titles, which you will find beginning on page 4. Additional information about these papers is available in the new PSNA website (you can find the complete abstracts by following this link), about which descriptive material can be found on page 11. Those attending the joint meeting will, of course, receive a program which will include the abstracts of papers to be presented. We regret this departure from past practice, but hope that it will not pose serious inconvenience, and for next year's meeting at Pullman we expect to return to publication of abstracts as before.

This issue also includes a research report by Dennis Clark of the University of Arizona, Tempe, who describes his current studies on the antibacterial and antiviral activity of surface deposits from a desert plant, the creosote bush, Larrea tridentata, as well as a report from our Treasurer, Susan McCormick.

The Editor

Most of my work in plant chemistry for the past 20 years has focused on flavonoids and other phenolics. First I rode the crest of the chemotaxonomy wave until it died in the U.S., then explored the ecological applications of plant chemical variation for a short while. Most recently, the path of plant chemistry has led me to apply this discipline to herbal medicine, which is the most interesting research area that I have involved myself with so far in my scientific career. To my great satisfaction, my research group and I have, of necessity, had to broaden our horizons and develop contacts with naturopathic and allelopathic medical doctors, nutritional biochemists, ethnobotanists, and other research groups. We have joined the fray in evaluating the quality of herbal medicines (i.e., nutritional supplements in the U.S.), designed and conducted bioassays and bioavailability studies, and even contributed to the development of commercial products. Our involvement with commerce and the public has also been gratifying because of its potential for securing more dependable sources of research funding than the "safe-science" grant system of federal and state agencies.

One of our current projects was inspired by an article in PNAS in 1995 on the anti-HIV activity of lignans in the creosote bush (Larrea tridentata). Based on this article we embarked on a further evaluation of the potential antiviral properties of this species. Our best results to date entail the effects of Larrea phenolics on herpes viruses. So far, cell culture studies show that these components of leaf resin have a potent inhibitory effect against Herpes simplex-2. We have also collaborated in clinical studies that show these components to be superior to Zovirax (acyclovir) in treating outbreaks of Herpes simplex-1. And we have a growing set of case histories on the successful use of Larrea preparations in the treatment of Human herpes virus-8 (Kaposi's sarcoma virus) in people with full-blown AIDS and against Herpes zoster (shingles). We are now setting up collaborations for designing and implementing full clinical trials on the efficacy of Larrea preparations in treating people with AIDS.

One of the positive fall-outs of this line of research is the tremendous interest of the public in my work. I find it enjoyable to talk about herbal medicine to the lay public and to see how my message comes across in newspaper and magazine articles. I also feel that my role as a link between science and the public, especially in a health-related capacity, fulfills an important obligation, one that many more scientists should embrace that is, to promote the advancement of science in the public arena.

The Treasury of the Phytochemical Society of North America ended the year with $39,853.57 in accounts in Peoria. Approximately $3000 remains in the New Orleans account. The financial statement appearing below shows that the major sources of receipts during 1996 were membership dues ($4750) and royalties from the sales of Recent Advances in Phytochemistry ($3643.91). In addition, we received $1485 from Plenum for secretarial expenses and page charges. Savings are currently in rising rate CD accounts.

The largest expenditures during 1996 were directed toward the New Orleans meeting, production of the Newsletter, and mailing costs for the membership directory. It is estimated that the 1996 meeting in New Orleans will result in a net expense to the PSNA of about $5000.

Respectfully submitted,

Susan P McCormick, Treasurer

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