Navindra Seeram, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Pharmacognosy
Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences
nseeram@mail.uri.edu

Click here for information about the Natural Product Research Group

Research Interests

A vast majority of traditional medicines are plant-derived extracts. Therefore, terrestrial plants offer an exciting source for the discovery of new phyto-pharmaceuticals and/or phytomedicines. The focus of my research group, the Bioactive Botanical Research Laboratory (BBRL), is to identify and evaluate plant compounds, as single chemical entities, and in combined extract and food matrices forms, for preventive and/or therapeutic effects against several chronic human illnesses. Targeted disease areas include cancer, diabetes, and neurodegenerative diseases (specifically, Alzheimer’s disease). Through integral inter- and intra-institutional collaborations, BBRL conducts research at the interface of chemistry and biology to address multiple aspects of the drug discovery and development process. To investigate the potential health benefits of nutraceuticals, and functional/medicinal foods, BBRL utilizes both animal and human studies to evaluate physiologically relevant issues such as metabolism, bioavailability, and tissue disposition, as well as identify mechanisms and target site(s) of action.

Education

Postdoctoral Fellow, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 1999-2002

Ph.D., Natural Products Chemistry, University of the West Indies, Jamaica, 1998

B.S., Chemistry and Biology, University of Guyana, South America, 1990

Press Releases

URI scientist discovers 54 beneficial compounds in pure maple syrup

Media Contact: Dave Lavallee, 401-874-5862

Five have never been seen in nature before

KINGSTON, R.I. – March 30, 2011 – University of Rhode Island researcher Navindra Seeram has discovered 34 new beneficial compounds in pure maple syrup and confirmed that 20 compounds discovered last year in preliminary research play a key role in human health.

Today at the 241st American Chemical Society’s National Meeting in Anaheim, Calif. the URI assistant pharmacy professor is telling scientists from around the world that his URI team has now isolated and identified 54 beneficial compounds in pure maple syrup from Quebec, five of which have never been seen in nature.

Click here to read the full article

URI pharmacy researcher finds beneficial compounds in pure maple syrup

Media Contact: Dave Lavallee, 401-874-5862

KINGSTON, R.I. – March 22, 2010 – Before you dig in to your next stack of French toast or waffles, you might want to pour on pure maple syrup.

That’s because University of Rhode Island researcher Navindra Seeram, who specializes in medicinal plant research, has found more than 20 compounds in maple syrup from Canada that have been linked to human health, 13 of which are newly discovered in maple syrup. In addition, eight of the compounds have been found in the Acer (maple) family for the first time.

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Study: Anything but real maple syrup is for saps

For maple syrup producers and lovers, this could be the best of times and the worst of times.

March is typically the peak time for tapping sugar maple trees for the sap that gets distilled into the sweet, amber elixir aficionados consider far superior to the cheap, fake stuff made from high fructose corn syrup. To get maximum sap flow, producers need a run of daytime temperatures in the 40s and nights in the 20s, but this season, the weather's been too warm.

Click here to read the full article

Birds Fuel Up on Super Foods Before Migrating

Birds that normally eat insects switch to antioxidant-rich berries just before starting their long journey south for winter.

Larry O'Hanlon Discovery News | Thu Mar 25, 2010 08:43 AM ET

Bug-chomping songbirds have been discovered doing something remarkable before migrating south for the winter: They switch, awkwardly, to berries rich in antioxidants.

Click here to read the full article

Podcasts

Providing Safe Food Part 2, American Chemical Society

Li. L.; Seeram, N.P. Quebecol, a novel phenolic compound isolated from Canadian maple syrup. Journal of Functional Foods. 2011, 3, 125-128.

Apostolidis, E.; Li, L.; Lee, C.M.; Seeram, N.P. In vitro evaluation of phenolic-enriched extracts of maple syrup for inhibition of carbohydrate hydrolyzing enzymes relevant to type 2 diabetes. Journal of Functional Foods, 2011, 3, 100-106.

Li. L.; Seeram, N.P. Maple syrup phytochemicals include lignans, coumarins, a stilbene and other previously unreported antioxidant phenolic compounds. J. Agric. Food Chem. 2010, 58, 11673-11679.

Henry, G.E.; Campbell, M.; Zelinsky, A.A.; Liu, Y.; Bowen-Forbes, C.S.; Li. L.; Nair, M.G.; Rowley, D.C.; Seeram, N.P. Bioactive acylphloroglucinols from Hypericum densiflorum. Phytotherapy Research, 2009, 23, 1759-1762.

Li, L.; Henry G.E.; Seeram, N.P. Identification and bioactivities of resveratrol oligomers and flavonoids from Carex folliculata seeds.  J. Agric. Food Chem. 2009, 57, 7282-7287.

Zunino, S.J.; Storms, D.H.; Zhang, Y.; Seeram, N.P. Growth arrest and induction of apoptosis in high-risk leukemia cells by strawberry components. J. Functional Foods, 2009, 1, 153-160.

Li, L.; Zhang, Y.; Seeram, N.P. Structure of anthocyanins from Eugenia jambolana fruit. Nat. Prod. Commun., 2009, 4, 217-219.

Li, L.; Adams, L.S.; Chen, C.; Killian, C.; Ahmed, A.; Seeram, N.P. Eugenia jambolana Lam. berry extract inhibits proliferation and induces apoptosis of human breast cancer but not non-tumorigenic breast cells. J. Agric. Food Chem. 2009, 57, 826-831.

Seeram, N.P. Berry fruits for cancer prevention: Current status and future prospects. J. Agric. Food Chem., 2008, 56, 630-635.

Seeram, N.P.; Aviram M.; Zhang, Y.; Henning, S.M.; Dreher, M.; Heber, D. Comparison of antioxidant potency of commonly consumed polyphenol-rich beverages in the United States. J. Agric. Food Chem., 2008, 56, 1415-1422.

Seeram, N.P.; Aronson, W.J.; Zhang, Y.; Henning, S.M.; Moro, A.; Lee, R.; Sartippour, M.; Harris, D.M.; Rettig, M.B.; Suchard, M.A.; Pantuck, A.J.; Belldegrun, A.; Heber, D. Pomegranate ellagitannin derived metabolites inhibit prostate cancer growth and localize to the mouse prostate gland. J. Agric. Food Chem., 2007, 55, 7777-7785.

Seeram, N.P.; Adams, L.S; Zhang, Y; Sand, D.; Heber, D. Blackberry, black raspberry, blueberry, cranberry, red raspberry and strawberry extracts inhibit growth and stimulate apoptosis of human cancer cells in vitro. J. Agric. Food Chem., 2006, 54, 9329-9339.

Henry, G.E.; Raithore, S.; Zhang, Y.; Jayaprakasam B.; Nair, M.G.; Heber, D.; Seeram, N.P. Acylphloroglucinol derivatives from Hypericum prolificum. J. Nat. Prod., 2006, 69, 1645-1648.

Seeram, N.P.; Lee, R.; Scheuller, H.S.; Heber, D. Identification of phenolics in strawberries by liquid chromatography electrospray ionization mass spectroscopy. Food Chem., 2006, 97, 1-11.

Seeram, N.P.; Henning, S.M.; Zhang, Y.; Suchard, M.; Li, Z.; Heber D. Pomegranate juice ellagitannin metabolites are present in human plasma and some persist in urine for up to 48 hours. J. Nutr., 2006,136, 2481-2485.

Li, Z.; Seeram, N.P.; Lee, R.; Thames, G.; Minutti, C.; Wang, H-J.; Heber, D. Plasma clearance of Lovastatin vs. Chinese Red Yeast Rice in healthy volunteers. J. Alt. Comp. Med., 2005, 11, 1031-1038.

Seeram, N.P.; Adams, L.S.; Henning, S.M.; Niu, Y.; Zhang, Y.; Nair, M.G.; Heber, D. In vitro antiproliferative, apoptotic and antioxidant activities of punicalagin, ellagic acid and a total pomegranate tannin extract are enhanced in combination with other polyphenols as found in pomegranate juice. J. Nutr. Biochem., 2005,16, 360-367.

Seeram, N.P.; Adams, L.S.; Hardy, M.L.; Heber, D. Total cranberry extract versus its phytochemical constituents: antiproliferative and synergistic effects against human tumor cell lines. J. Agric. Food Chem., 2004, 52, 2512-2517.

Seeram, N.P.; Francis, L.S.; Needham, O.L.; Jacobs, H.; McLean, S.; Reynolds, W.F. Drimane and bisabolane sesquiterpenoids from Cinnamodendron corticosum (Canellaceae). Biochem. Systematics Ecol., 2002, 31, 637-640.

Seeram, N.P.; Lewis, A.; Jacobs, H.; Nair, M.G.; McLean, S.; Reynolds, W.F. Proctoriones A-C: 2-acylcyclohexane-1,3-dione derivatives from Peperomia proctorii. J. Nat. Prod., 2000, 63, 399-402.

Seeram, N.P.; Heber D.  Purifications of pomegranate ellagitannins and their uses thereof. US Patent No. 7,638,640 B2, 2009.

Nair, M.G.; Cichewicz, R.C.; Seeram, N.P.; Zhang, Y. Anticancer anthraquinones isolation from Hemerocallis fulva and methods of use. US Patent No. 6,875,746 B1, 2005.

Nair, M.G.; Bourquin, L.D.; Seeram, N.P.; Kang, S.Y. Method for treating tumors caused by APC gene mutation with anthocyanins and cyanidin, US Patent No. 6,656,914 B2, 2003.