Anna Katharina Jäger

Associate professor

Department of Medicinal Chemistry
Royal Danish School of Pharmacy
Universitetsparken 2
DK-2100 Copenhagen
Denmark
Phone: (+45) 35 30 63 39
Fax: (+45) 35 30 60 41
E-mail: ankj@dfuni.dk

Location (courier address): Dept. of Medicinal Chemistry, Room 009, School of Pharmacy, Jagtvej 162, 2100 Copenhagen 0, Denmark.

Born: 7 September 1966
Family: one son, Peter, born 26 September 1998.

Education:
M.Pharm., The Royal Danish School of Pharmacy, Copenhagen, 1991.
Ph.D (Pharmacy), The Royal Danish School of Pharmacy, Copenhagen, 1993.

Work experience
1993 - 95 Post-Doctoral researcher at the Department of Botany, University of Natal
Pietermaritzburg, South Africa
1995 - 98 Researcher at the Department of Botany, University of Natal
Pietermaritzburg, South Africa.
1996 - 98 Part-time lecturer at the Department of Botany, University of Natal
Pietermaritzburg, South Africa
1998 Maternity leave (3 months)
1999 - 02 Senior lecturer at the School of Botany and Zoology, University of Natal Pietermaritzburg, South Africa
01.03.02 - Associate Professor, Pharmacognosy, School of Pharmacy, Copenhagen

Ethnopharmacology – investigating pharmacological activities of medicinal plants based on usage in traditional medicine.

During my years in South Africa I have been involved in all aspects of medicinal plant research, from seed germination, tissue culture/micropropagation and cultivation to pharmacolgical and chemical investigations. Our work has been based on ethnological data. Working with traditional healers has given me a rare insight into and understanding of African traditional medicine. It has been our aim to help rationalise traditional medicine, to find out what works in a scientific manner, so the treatment methods can become more effective and safe.

Present research aims at investigating plants used for mental problems in traditional medical systems. Plant extracts will be tested for receptor-binding, and plants with interesting activities further subjected to bioassay-guided isolation of the active compounds. These results can be used to improve traditional medicine; and hopefully new lead structures will be discovered that can be developed into new drugs.

Co-supervising three Ph.D. and four M.Sc. students at Univ. of Natal, South Africa.

75 publications (original and review articles in refereed journals and books). Refereeing for several journals. Sub-editor for South African Journal of Botany.Publications 2000 – present:

2000

Kelmanson, J.E.; Jäger A.K. and van Staden, J. (2000) Zulu medicinal plants with antibacterial activity. J. Ethnopharm 69:241-246.

van Staden, J., Jäger, A.K., Brown, N.A.C. and Johnson, T.A. (2000) Smoke as a germination cue. Plant Species Biol. 15:167-178.

Zschocke, S.; Rabe, T.; Taylor, J.L.S.; Jäger, A.K. and van Staden, J. (2000) Plant part substitution - a way to conserve endangered medicinal plants? J. Ethnopharm. 71:281-292.

McGaw, L.J., Jäger, A.K. and van Staden, J. (2000) Antibacterial, anthelmintic and antiamoebic activity in South African medicinal plants. J. Ethnopharm.72:247-263.

Sparg, S.G., Jäger, A.K. and van Staden, J. (2000) Efficiency of traditionally used South African plants against schistosomiasis. J. Ethnopharm. 73:209-214.

Jäger, A.K. and van Staden, J. (2001) The need for cultivation of medicinal plants in southern Africa. Outlook on Agriculture, 29:283-284.

2001

Pillay, C.C.N., Jäger A.K., Mulholland, D.A. and van Staden, J. (2001) Anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial activities of South African Erythrina species. J. Ethnopharm., 74:231-237.

Reid, K.A., Jäger, A.K. and van Staden, J. (2001) Isolation of the anti-bacterial compound vernodalin from traditionally used Vernonia colorata. S. Afr. J. Bot., 67:71-73.

Arthur G. D., Jäger, A.K. and van Staden, J. (2001) The release of cytokinins-like compounds from Gingko biloba leaf material during composting. Environmental and Experimental Botany, 45:55-61.

McGaw, L.J., Rabe, T., Sparg, S.G., Jäger, A.K., Eloff, J.N. and van Staden, J. (2001) An investigation on the biological activity of Combretum species. J. Ethnopharm., 75:45-50.

Taylor, J.L.S., Rabe, T., McGaw, L.J., Jäger, A.K. and van Staden, J. (2001) Towards scientific evaluation of traditional medicinal plants. Plant Growth Regul., 34:23-37.

Reid, K.A., Jäger, A.K. and van Staden, J. (2001) Pharmacological and phytochemical properties of Dombeya rotundifolia. S.Afr. J. Bot. 67:349-353.

Gardner, M.J., Dalling, K., Light, M.E., Jäger, A.K. and van Staden, J. (2001) Does smoke substitute for red light in the germination of light-sensitive lettuce seeds by affecting gibberellin metabolism?. S. Afr. J. 67:363-640.

Eloff. J.N., Jäger, A.K. and van Staden, J. (2001) The stability and the relationship between anti-inflammatory activity and the antibacterial activity of southern African Combretum species. S. Afr. J. Sci. 97:291-293.

Grace, O.M., Light, M.E., Lindsey, K.L., Mulholland, D.A, van Staden, J. and Jäger, A.K.(2001) Antibacterial activity and isolation of active compounds from fruit of the traditional African medicinal tree Kigelia africana. S. Afr. J. Bot. 68:220-222.

2002

Arthur, G.D., Jäger, A.K. and van Staden, J. (2002) Uptake of [3H]DHZ by tomato seedlings. S.Afr. J. Bot. 67:661-666.

Lindsey, K.L., Jäger, A.K. and Viljoen, A. (2002) Cyclooxygenase inhibitory activity of Aloes. S. Afr. J. Bot. 68:47-50.

Tetyana, P., Prozesky, E.A., Jäger, A.K., Meyer, J.J.M. and van Staden, J. (2002) Some medicinal properties of Cussonia species used in traditional medicine. South African Journal of Botany. 68:51-54.

Light, M.E., McGaw, L.J., Rabe, T., Sparg, S.G., Taylor, M.B., Erasmus, D.G., Jäger, A.K. and van Staden, J. (2002) Pharmacological activity of Siphonochilus aethiopicus. South African Journal of Botany. 68:55-61.

McGaw, L.J., Jäger, A.K. and van Staden, J. (2002) Isolation of ß-asarone, an antibacterial and anthelmintic compound, from Acorus calamus in South Africa. South African Journal of Botany. 68:31-35.

Yff, B.T.S., Lindsey, K.L., Taylor, M.B., Erasmus, D.G. and Jäger, A.K. (2002) The pharmacological screening of Pentanisia prunelloides and the isolation of the anti-bacterial compound palmitic acid. J. Ethnopharm. 79:101-107.

McGaw, L.J., Jäger, A.K. and van Staden, J. (2002) Variation in antibacterial activity of Schotia species. South African Journal of Botany. 68:41-46.

Grace, O., van Staden, J. and Jäger, A.K. (2002) Bark. South African Journal of Botany 68:21-30.

Sparg, S.G., van Staden, J. and Jäger, A.K. (2002) Pharmacological and phytochemical screening of two Hyacinthaceae speices: Scilla natalensis and Ledebouria ovatifolia. J. Ethnopharm.80:95-101.

Light, M.E., Gardner, M.J., Jäger, A.K. and van Staden, J. (2002) Dual regulation of seed germination by smoke solutions. S. Afr. J. Bot. In press

Lindsey, K.L., Motsei, M.L. and Jäger, A.K. (2002) Screening of southern African food plants for antioxidant activity. J. Food Sci. In press

Light, M.E., McGaw, L.J., Sparg, S.G., Jäger, A.K. and van Staden, J. (2002) Screening of Cenchrus ciliaris for biological activity. S. Afr. J. Bot. In press

McGaw, L.J., Jäger, A.K. and van Staden, J. (2002) Antibacterial fatty acids from Schotia brachypetala. Fitoterapia In press

Jäger, A.K. and van Staden, J. (2002) Soluble sugars in light-sensitive Grand Rapids lettuce seeds treated with red light, gibberellic acid and a plant-derived smoke extract. S.Afr. J. Bot. In press