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Planta Med 1990; 56(4): 371-373
DOI: 10.1055/s-2006-960985
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© Georg Thieme Verlag Stuttgart · New York

Antimalarial Compounds Containing an α, β-Unsaturated Carbonyl Moiety from Tanzanian Medicinal Plants1

H. Weenen2 , 3 , M. H. H. Nkunya2 , D. H. Bray4 , L. B. Mwasumbi5 , L. S. Kinabo2 , V. A. E. B. Kilimali6 , J. B. P. A. Wijnberg7
  • 2Department of Chemistry, University of Dar es Salaam, P.O. Box 35061, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
  • 3Quest International, P.O. Box 2, 1400 CA Bussum, the Netherlands
  • 4Department of Medical Protozoology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Keppel Street, London WC1E 7HT, U.K.
  • 5Department of Botany, University of Dar es Salaam, P.O. Box 35060, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
  • 6National Institute for Medical Research, Amani Research Centre, P.O. Box 4, Amani, Tanzania
  • 7Laboratory for Organic Chemistry, Agricultural University Wageningen, the Netherlands
1 Part 2 in the series: Antimalarial activity of Tanzanian plants. For Part 1, see Ref. (13)
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Publication History

1989

Publication Date:
05 January 2007 (online)

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Abstract

Pure compounds were isolated from plant extracts with antimalarial activity. The extracts were obtained from the tubers of Cyperus rotundus L. (Cyperaceae), the rootbark of Zanthoxylum gilletii (De Wild) Waterm. (Rutaceae), and the rootbark of Margaritaria discoidea (Baill.) Webster (Euphorbiaceae). The most active compounds included (IC50 within brackets): α-cyperone (1) (5.5 µg/ml), N-isobutyldeca-2,4-dienamide (2) (5.4 µg/ml), and securinine (3) (5.4 µg/ml). A mixture of autoxidation products of β-selinene was found to be the most active antimalarial substances obtained from C. rotundus (5.6 µg/ml).

Key words

Tanzanian - medicinal plants - antimalarial activity - Cyperus rotundus - Zanthoxylum gilletii - Margaritaria discoidea - α-cyperone - N-isobutyldeca-2,4-dienamide - securinine