Molluscicidal activity of the diterpenoids jatrophone and jatropholones A and B isolated from Jatropha elliptica (Pohl) Muell. Arg.

ABSTRACT

In the search for new molluscicidal natural products, the activity of the crude ethanol extract of the rhizome of Jatropha elliptica (Pohl.) Muell. Arg. was tested. The LC(50) was 13.07 ppm. The fractionation and purification of the extract furnished jatrophone and a mixture of jatropholones A and B, as the main compounds. They were tested against the snail Biomphalaria glabrata. Jatrophone showed an LC(50) of 1.16 ppm as a molluscicide and an LC(50) of 1.14 ppm for the assay of egg mass, while the mixture of jatropholones A and B presented an LC(50) of 58.04 ppm as a molluscicide and was not active against the second assay at a concentration up to 100 ppm.