Phytochemistry and Phytopharmacology
Dr. B. Sabulal
Position: Head of Division, Senior Principal Scientist
Mobile No: 9495832391
Email: sabulal@jntbgri.res.in; sabulal@gmail.com
Qualifications: PhD (Chemistry), Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IITB), Postdoc (Biochemistry), University of Pennsylvania (UPenn), USA, Postdoc (Biochemistry), University of Toronto (UofT), Canada.
Specialization: Natural products, Essential oils, Biological activity, Chemical ecology.
Personal Biography
Received doctorate in Chemistry from Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IITB). Did post-doctoral research at the University of Pennsylvania, USA and University of Toronto, Canada. Research areas are phytochemistry and biochemistry. Published over 85 peer reviewed papers in these research areas.
Projects & Selected Publications
Projects
- Establishment of Center of Excellence in Phytochemical Nanotechnology at KSCSTE-JNTBGRI (KSCSTE, Rs. 200 Lakhs, Ongoing).
- Search for potential biologically active constituents from the Indian pitcher plant, Nepenthes khasiana (Science and Engineering Research Board, Government of India, Rs. 26.75 Lakhs, Ongoing).
- Identification of elite lines of Centella asiatica and Bacopa monnieri for commercially significant constituents for standardization of their extracts (Department of Biotechnology, Government of India, Rs. 94.95 Lakhs).
- Antivirals from medicinal plants of Western Ghats selected based on traditional knowledge (TK)/ethnomedical information (Department of Biotechnology, Government of India, Rs. 95.18 Lakhs).
- Search for potential biologically active constituents from a hitherto uninvestigated unique bamboo, Melocanna baccifera (Science and Engineering Research Board, Government of India, Rs. 23.50 Lakhs).
Publications
- Johnson, A.J., Venukumar, V., Varghese, T.S., Viswanathan, G., Leeladevi, P.S., Remadevi, R.K.S., Sabulal Baby. (2022). Insecticidal properties of Clausena austroindica leaf essential oil and its major constituent, trans-anethole, against Sitophilus oryzae and Tribolium castaneum. Industrial Crops and Products, 182: 114854. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indcrop.2022.114854
- Kunjumon, R., Johnson, A.J., Sukumaryamma Remadevi, R.K., Baby, S. (2022). Assessment of major centelloside ratios in Centella asiatica accessions grown under identical ecological conditions, bioconversion clues and identification of elite lines. Scientific Reports, 12: 8177. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-12077-9
- Sekhar VC, Viswanathan G, Baby S. (2019). Insights Into the Molecular Aspects of Neuro-protective Bacoside A and Bacopaside. I. Curr Neuropharmacol., 17(5):438-446. https://doi.org/10.2174/1570159X16666180419123022.
- Ajikumaran Nair S, Rajani Kurup SR, Akhila S Nair, Sabulal Baby (2018) Citrus peels prevent cancer. Phytomedicine 50: 231-237. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.phymed.2017.08.011
- Gopan Raj, Rajani Kurup, Abdul Azeez Hussain, Sabulal Baby. (2011). Distribution of naphthoquinones, plumbagin, droserone, and 5-O-methyl droserone in chitin-induced and uninduced Nepenthes khasiana: molecular events in prey capture. J Exp Bot. 62(15):5429-36. https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb/err219
Details of Students
Work: Screening of phytochemicals, essential oils against viruses.
Work: Phytochemistry, biological activity studies of selected medicinal plants.
Work: Chemistry, biology of Nepenthes khasiana.
Work: Morphology, anatomy and chemistry of Nepenthes khasiana flowers and pitchers.
Work: Phytochemistry, anti-inflammatory activity studies of Victoria amazonica.
Work: Anti-inflammatory, anti-proliferative studies of essential oils from Aglaia species and their nanoparticles.
Work: Phytochemistry, pharmacology of Thottea and Clausena species.
Aswathy J., DST-INSPIRE Senior Research Fellow (Email: aswathyjk2011@gmail.com)
Work: Phytochemical approach for regeneration in osteoarthritis
Work: Chemistry, ecology of plant carnivory.
Work: Anti-diabetic studies of Ficus species.
Work: Neuropharmacology, polymer encapsulation of Bacopa monnieri secondary metabolites.