Mutagenicity of chamuvaritin: a benzyldihydrochalcone isolated from a medicinal plant.

The mutagenic effects of chamuvaritin, dihydrobenzylchalcone isolated from Uvaria chamae, were investigated using Salmonella typhimurium tester strains TA92, TA94--98, TA100--1535, TA1537 and TA1538. The phytochemical was mutagenic in tester strains TA98 and TA100 and required activation by the hepatic S-9 microsomal enzyme preparation.

Structure-activity relationship in the toxicity of some naturally occurring coumarins-chalepin, imperatorin and oxypeucedanine.

Imperatorin, oxypeucedanine and chalepin are furanocoumarins isolated from Clausena anisata a medicinal plant common in West Africa. Only chalepin is found to have anticoagulant activity when administered to rats at a single dose. Aniline hydroxylase activity was appreciably depressed by each of the substances. Ethylmorphine demethylase, hepatic DNA, reduced glutathione and glucose-6-phosphatase were unaffected by these compounds when administered at a dose of 50 mg/kg for 3 days prior to sacrifice. Under similar conditions only chalepin treatment resulted in alpha-1-globulin increase and a decrease in beta-globulin content of the serum. Intraperitoneal treatment with chalepin (100 mg/kg) for 2 days resulted in the death of 4 rats out of 10 within a 48 h of treatment. Livers of dead rats showed generalized necrosis of hepatocytes. No deaths were recorded for imperatorin and oxypeucedanine. Rats surviving after 8 weeks showed no changes in hepatic enzyme activity, reduced glutathione and DNA concentrations. However, chalepin and imperatorin induced alterations in the serum protein pattern within this period. Liver lesions were observed in chalepin treated animals and were characterized by very mild necrosis of hepatocytes. No lesions were observed in the livers of rats treated with imperatorin and oxypeucedanine.

Novel Structures of two Chromone Alkaloids from Root-Bark of Schumanniophyton magnificum.

The constitutional formulae of two new chromone alkaloids, schumannificine 2 and N-methylschumannificine 3 isolated from the root-bark of SCHUMANNIOPHYTON MAGNIFICUM, H ARMS, have been shown to be linear tetracyclic compounds with ring D being piperidine in nature, on the basis of the chemical evidence and spectral analyses.

Anthelmintic activity of the stem bark extracts of Berlina grandiflora and one of its active principles, Betulinic acid.

This study examines the anthelmintic activity of a methanol, hexane and ethylacetate extracts of Berlina grandiflora and purified betulinic acid, the major triterpenoid found in the extract. Caenorhabditis elegans, a free living soil nematode was used as in vitro model in the study. A suspension of worms was treated with the extracts. After seven days of incubation activity was assessed in terms of number of worms exhibiting motiliy. The results showed that methanol, hexane and ethylacetate fractions at 500 ppm showed anthelmintic activities in the order ethylacetate > methanol > hexane from the alcoholic crude extract. The isolated betulinic acid from the ethylacetate fraction at 100 and 500 ppm showed strong anthelmintic activities comparable to piperazine. These results confirm the traditional use of Berlina grandiflora as an anthelmintic and indicate that betulinic acid is the active component.