Metabolites from roots of Colubrina greggii var. yucatanensis and evaluation of their antiprotozoan, cytotoxic and antiproliferative activities

Abstract

A purificacao do extrato da raiz de Colubrina greggii var. yucatanensis levou ao isolamento e identificacao do acido 3- O-acetil ceanotico, um novo triterpeno natural, juntamente com os metabolitos ja descritos: acido ceanotico, acido cenotenico, acido betulinico, discarina B e crisofaneina. Os produtos naturais e os derivados semi-sinteticos ester de acetil dimetil ceanotato, dimetil ceanotato e peracetato de crisofaneina mostraram moderada a baixa atividade leishmanicida e tripanocida. Nenhum dos metabolitos mostrou ser citotoxicos ou ter atividade antiproliferativa. Os resultados tambem sugerem que o acido betulinico contribui para a atividade antiplasmodica inicialmente detectada na raiz do extrato bruto de C. greggii var. yucatanensis. Purification of the root extract of Colubrina greggii var. yucatanensis resulted in the isolation and identification of 3- O-acetyl ceanothic acid as a new natural ceanothane triterpene, together with the known metabolites ceanothic acid, cenothenic acid, betulinic acid, discarine B and chrysophanein. The natural products and the semisynthetic esters acetyl dimethyl ceanothate, dimethyl ceanothate and chrysophanein peracetate showed moderate to low leishmanicidal and trypanocidal activities. None of the metabolites showed cytotoxic or antiproliferative effects. The results also suggested that betulinic acid contributes to the antiplasmodial activity originally detected in the crude root extract of C. greggii var. yucatanensis.