Document Type
Thesis
Date of Degree Completion
Spring 2011
Degree Name
Bachelor of Science
Department
Biology
Committee Chair
Dr. Gil Belofsky, Department of Chemistry
Second Committee Member
Dr. Tom Cottrell, Department of Biological Sciences
Third Committee Member
Dr. Audrey D. Huerta, Director Science Honors Research Program
Abstract
A need for new modes of antibiotic therapy has resulted from the increasing incidence of bacterial resistance to drugs. One approach to this problem involves the search for plant compounds that may help to overcome multi-drug resistance. Many plant genera have been utilized in Native American traditional medicine for their beneficial properties. Such plants include the shrub-steppe genera, Eriogonun and Collomia, which have been used as cold remedies, pain relievers, and for antibiotic-related uses. Limited chemical studies of these genera have revealed medicinally useful compounds such as flavonoids and terpenoids, and further research may result in the identification of new plant compounds that could be used to treat fungal and bacterial infection. These may also expand our knowledge of organic-based compounds and their relationship with physiological adaptions of plant species to certain environments, including their ability to fight bacterial and fungal infection.
Recommended Citation
John, Aaron M., "A Survey of the Chemical Content and Medicinal Activity of Shrub-Steppe Plants of the Pacific Northwest" (2011). Undergraduate Honors Theses. 84.
https://digitalcommons.cwu.edu/undergrad_hontheses/84
Comments
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