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Search for antimalarial compounds from Pycnanthus angolensis

2007; Thieme Medical Publishers (Germany); Volume: 73; Issue: 09 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1055/s-2007-986941

1439-0221

Cátia Ramalhete, Marta Abrantes, T Mil-Homens, Noélia Duarte, Dinora Lopes, Pedro Cravo, Maria Do Céu Madureira, José R. Ascenso, MJU Ferreira,

Ethnobotanical and Medicinal Plants Studies

Malaria is presently one of the most concerning infectious diseases, especially in African countries due to resistance of Plasmodium falciparum to the clinical available drugs. In these countries, traditional medicine plays a crucial role, as population has few means of accessing medical treatment. Important antimalarial compounds have been isolated from plants, such as quinine and artemisinin. Resistance to the main antimalarials underscores the need to search for new active compounds from plants used in traditional medicine. Pycnanthus angolensis Welw. Ward (Myristicaceae) is a plant used in traditional medicine against several diseases. Its bark has been used to treat fever and malaria in São Tomé and Príncipe islands. The dichloromethane extract of the bark revealed antimalarial activity against 3D7 P. falciparum strain (IC50=1.6µg/mL) and was submitted to chromatographic bio-guided fractionation yielding the lignans 4,4'-dihydroxy-3-methoxylignan, heliobuphthalmin, (-)-dihydroguaiaretic acid, talaumidin, hinokinin, the labdane diterpene ozic acid and the steroids stigmast-4-en-6β-ol-3-one, stigmasterol and β-sitosterol. Furthermore, other compounds were obtained by derivatization. Structural identification was achieved by physical and spectroscopic methods (IR, EIMS, 1H NMR, 13C NMR and 2D NMR experiments). The in vitro antimalarial activity of the compounds was evaluated against 3D7 and Dd2 P. falciparum strains.