Bisbenzylisoquinoline and hasubanane alkaloids from Stephania abyssinica (Dillon & A. Rich) (Menispermeceae).

Two bisbenzylisoquinoline and one hasubanane alkaloids: (-)-pseudocurine (1), (-)-pseudoisocurine (2) and (-)-10-oxoaknadinine (3), were isolated from leaf extract of Stephania abyssinica, a plant used in traditional medicine in South Nyanza region of Kenya. They were characterized using 1D ((1)H, (13)C and DEPT) and 2D (COSY, NOESY, HMQC and HMBC) NMR techniques. (-)-Pseudocurine (1) and (-)-pseudoisocurine (2) exhibited strong to moderate anti-plasmodial activity while (-)-10-oxoaknadinine (3) showed moderate to mild activity.