Chemical constituents of the Stem Bark of Acacia ataxacantha (Fabaceae)

Natural products and or natural product structures have continued to play a significant role in drug discovery and development process. Plants have continued to be a source of medicine especially in the developing parts of the world where about 80% of the population depend on natural products for their health needs. This has necessitated intensive studies into bioactive secondary metabolites using methods such as extraction, isolation, purification and chemical characterization of plant extracts which could unfold a novel chemical compounds suitable for drug development. Acacia is a large genus of the family fabaceae, with about 1,400 species. Most of the species belonging to the genus are rich in secondary metabolites containing mainly tannins, flavonoids and gums, and is widely distributed in tropical and non-tropical countries including Nigeria, Benin and Kenya where various parts of the plant has ethnomedicinal applications in relieving dysentery, cough, pneumonia,pain and inflammation. The antioxidant, antifungal and antibacterial activity of the bark extracts have been reported. Phytochemically, triterpenoids and a new chromone have been reported. We have previously reported the protein kinase inhibitory activity of two new Peltogynoids isolated from the chloroform extract of the stem bark of Acacia nilotica, while the