title: Virtualizing the p-ANAPL library: a step towards drug discovery from African medicinal plants.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Natural products play a key role in drug discovery programs, both serving as drugs and as templates for the synthesis of drugs, even though the quantities and availabilities of samples for screening are often limitted.
  
  
  METHODS
  A current collection of physical samples of > 500 compound derived from African medicinal plants aimed at screening for drug discovery has been made by donations from several researchers from across the continent to be directly available for drug discovery programs. A virtual library of 3D structures of compounds has been generated and Lipinski's "Rule of Five" has been used to evaluate likely oral availability of the samples.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A majority of the compound samples are made of flavonoids and about two thirds (2/3) are compliant to the "Rule of Five". The pharmacological profiles of thirty six (36) selected compounds in the collection have been discussed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The p-ANAPL library is the largest physical collection of natural products derived from African medicinal plants directly available for screening purposes. The virtual library is also available and could be employed in virtual screening campaigns.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Chemical and Bioactivity Information Centre, Faculty of Science, University of Buea, Buea, Cameroon.
authors.forename: Fidele
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ntie-Kang
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Douala, Douala, Cameroon.
authors.forename: Pascal
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Amoa Onguéné
authors.affiliation: Department of Organic Chemistry, University of Yaoundé I, Yaoundé, Cameroon.
authors.forename: Ghislain W
authors.initials: GW
authors.lastname: Fotso
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, University of Botswana, Gaborone, Botswana.
authors.forename: Kerstin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Andrae-Marobela
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of Botswana, Gaborone, Botswana.
authors.forename: Merhatibeb
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bezabih
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Douala, Douala, Cameroon.
authors.forename: Jean Claude
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Ndom
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Traditional Pharmacopeia, Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Yaoundé I, Yaoundé, Cameroon.
authors.forename: Bonaventure T
authors.initials: BT
authors.lastname: Ngadjui
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria.
authors.forename: Abiodun O
authors.initials: AO
authors.lastname: Ogundaini
authors.affiliation: Academy of Sciences, Nairobi, Kenya.
authors.forename: Berhanu M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Abegaz
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Douala, Douala, Cameroon.
authors.forename: Luc Mbaze
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Meva'a
mesh_terms: D000349:Africa; D001688:Biological Products / Q000032:analysis*; D055808:Drug Discovery; D006860:Hydrogen Bonding; D010946:Plants, Medicinal / Q000737:chemistry*; D054852:Small Molecule Libraries / Q000032:analysis*; D014584:User-Computer Interface
chemical_list: D001688:Biological Products; D054852:Small Molecule Libraries