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LABORATORY CHEMISTRY OF NATURAL PRODUCTS

Research interests

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. At present, the Lab is an active participant in the Southeast European Network on Phytochemistry and Chemistry of Natural Products for Green and Sustainable Growth” (SEE PhytoChemNet), created with the support of UNESCO.

Significant part of our research is dedicated to Bulgarian medicinal and aromatic plants (MAP), which are particularly diverse and numerous in our countr, and searching for possibilities to create innovative products based on MAP. 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, etc. We are interested mainly in antibacterial, antiviral and antioxidant substances. In both directions we work in close collaboration with biologists and pharmacologists. We also collaborate with colleagues from different countries: Germany, Greece, Macedonia, Mongolia, Serbia, Spain, Turkey, Switzerland etc.

Our major projects at present are on endemic Bulgarian medicinal plant species, search for natural products active against bee pathogens, synthesis of biologically active chalcones.

LABORATORY MEMBERS

Head:

Prof. Dr. Milena Popova


02 9606 149
510
milena.popova@orgchm.bas.bg
Name Room Phone Å-mail*
Prof. Milena Popova, PhD, Head 510 149 milena.popova
Prof. Vassya Bankova, DSc, corr. member of BAS 510 149 vassya.bankova
Prof. Antoaneta Trendafilova, PhD 518 144 antoaneta.trendafilova
Assoc. Prof. Boryana Trusheva, PhD 510 149 boryana.trusheva
Assoc. Prof. Kalina Alipieva, PhD 507 137 kalina.alipieva
Assoc. Prof. Kalina Danova, PhD 518 141 kalina.danova
Assoc. Prof. Stefan Philipov, PhD 503 194 philipov
Assist. Prof Nadezhda Kostova, PhD 519 148 nadezhda.kostova
Assist. Prof. Tsvetelina Doncheva, PhD 503 194 tsvetelina.doncheva
Assist. Prof. Ralitsa Chimshirova, PhD 510 149 ralitsa.chimshirova
Assist. Prof. Victoria Ivanova, PhD 518 144 viktoria.genova
Assist. Prof. Vanya Gerasimova, PhD 507 137 vanya.gerasimova
Slaveya Krustanova, assistant 507 137 slaveya.krustanova
Konstantina Priboyska, chemist 507 137 konstantina.priboyska
Desislava Raykova, chemist 518 144 desislava.raykova

Projects

 Financing organization: National science fund, Ministry of education and science Project title: A rational platform for the sustainable production of pharmaceutically relevant molecules from plants and their in vitro cultures Coordinator of the research team: Prof. Dr. Milena Popova

Financing organization: National science fund, Ministry of education and science Project title: Phytochemical and biological study of species of the genus Inula (Asteraceae) from the Bulgarian flora - new sources of biologically active substances Coordinator of the research team: Prof. Dr. Antoaneta Trendafilova

Financing organization: National science fund, Ministry of education and science Project title: Green approaches for utilization of green wealth - natural deep eutectic solvents for extraction of biologically active substances from natural objects Coordinator of the research team: Prof. Vassya Bankova, DSc, corr. member of BAS

Financing organization: National science fund, Ministry of education and science Project title: Metabolic profile and genetic variability of Thymus species in Bulgaria - scientific basis of phytotherapy and potential for pharmacy Coordinator of the research team: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Kalina Alipieva

Financing organization: National science fund, Ministry of education and science Project title: Modeling the accumulation of secondary metabolites by targeting morphogenesis in vitro: obtaining plant components with potential anticancer activity from mursal tea, white wormwood and St. John's wort species Coordinator of the research team: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Kalina Danova

Financing organization: BAS and Institute of Experimental Botany, Czech Academy of Sciences Competition (type of competition and year): Interacademic exchange program of the Bulgarian and Czech Academies of Sciences (EBR) - 2017 Project title: Development and characterization of in vitro systems for extraction of volatile and non-volatile biologically active substances by regulation of endogenous phytohormonal balance in in vitro cultivated white wormwood (Artemisia alba Turra) Coordinator of the research team: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Kalina Danova

Financing organization: BAS and Serbian Academy of Sciences Competition (type of competition and year): Academic exchange program of the Bulgarian and Serbian Academies of Sciences - 2017 Project title: Secondary metabolites in wild and cultivated plants with potential biological activity Coordinator of the research team: Prof. Dr. Antoaneta Trendafilova

Financing organization: BAS and the Mongolian Academy of Sciences Competition (type of competition and year): Academic exchange program of the Bulgarian and Mongolian Academies of Sciences - 2017 Project title: Alkaloid profile and biological activity of plant species from Mongolia Coordinator of the research team: Assist. Prof. Dr. Tsvetelina Doncheva

Financing organization: BAS and Egyptian Academy of Sciences Competition (type of competition and year): Academic exchange program of the Bulgarian and Egyptian Academies of Sciences - 2019 Project title: Introduction of plant species of the genus Lamiaceae for prostate treatment and biotechnological improvement of the content of biologically active substances Coordinator of the research team: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Kalina Danova

Financing organization: BAS and Vietnam Academy of Sciences and Technologies Competition (type of competition and year): Academic exchange program of the Bulgarian and Vietnamese Academy of Sciences and Technologies, Institute of Marine Biology Project title: Vietnamese propolis and its plant sources - potential for discovering new biologically active substances Coordinator of the research team: Prof. Vassya Bankova, DSc, corr. member of BAS

Financing organization: BAS and Vietnam Academy of Sciences and Technologies Competition (type of competition and year): Academic exchange program of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences and Vietnam Academy of Sciences and Technologies - 2020 Project title: Phytochemical study and biological activity of plant species of the genus Pandanus from Vietnam Coordinator of the research team: Assist. Prof. Dr. Tsvetelina Doncheva

Financing organization: BAS and the Serbian Academy of Sciences Competition (type of competition and year): Academic exchange program of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences and the Serbian Academy of Sciences - 2020 Project title: Phytochemical study of secondary metabolites from plants and fungi, as well as their biotransformed products Coordinator of the research team: Prof. Dr. Antoaneta Trendafilova

Financing organization: COST European Cooperation in Science and Technology Competition (type of competition and year): June 2019 Project title: An integrated approach to endangered plant conservation in the 21st century Period: 15.10.2019 – 14.10.2023 Coordinator: Dr Ziva Fiser; Kalina Danova – participation as a Member of the Management Board of the ActionProject number or acronym:COST Action CA18201 Official page

Selected group publications(Q1)

2019

PLoS ONE,
14(4),
e0216074
Phytochemical analysis of Vietnamese propolis produced by the stingless bee Lisotrigona cacciae
Phytotherapy Research,
33(3),
591-601
The chemical composition and events related to the cytotoxic effects of propolis on osteosarcoma cells: A comparative assessment of Colombian samples
DARU, Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences,
27(1), 407-421
Genus Sideritis, section Empedoclia in southeastern Europe and Turkey – studies in ethnopharmacology and recent progress of biological activities
Phytomedicine,
55,
105-118
Plant-derived verbascoside and isoverbascoside regulate Toll-like receptor 2 and 4-driven neutrophils priming and activation
Phytochemistry,
155,
1-11
The phytochemistry of the honeybee
Microporous and Mesoporous Materials,
263, 28-33
Nanostructured silver silica materials as potential propolis carriers
Food and Chemical Toxicology, 111,
605-615
New iridoids from Verbascum nobile and their effect on lectin-induced T cell activation and proliferation

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