A new furostan-type saponin (1) was isolated from the methanolic extract of Brunfelsia grandiflora leaves, together with four known compounds. The chemical structure of 1 was determined by spectroscopic analysis and chemical reaction to be 26-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl 22alpha-methoxyfurost-3beta,26-diol 3-O-beta-D-xylopyranosyl(1-->3)-{beta-D-glucopyranosyl(1-->2)}-beta-D-glucopyranosyl(1-->4)-be...

An investigation of the ethanolic extract from stems of Caesalpinia echinata Lam (Leguminosae-Caesalpinioideae) led to the isolation of five new cassane diterpenes along with known lambertianic acid. Their structures were determined based on spectroscopic methods. A preliminary study on leishmanicidal activity demonstrated that compounds 1, 2 and 6 were found to inhibit the growth of amastigote...

Malaria and leishmaniasis are two of the World's most important tropical parasitic diseases. Thirteen new 2-cyano-3-(4-phenylpiperazine-1-carboxamido) quinoxaline 1,4-dioxide derivatives (CPCQs) were synthesized and evaluated for their in vitro antimalarial and antileishmanial activity against erythrocytic forms of Plasmodium falciparum and axenic forms of Leishmania infantum. Their toxicity ag...

Sixteen methanolic extracts obtained from thirteen plant species, selected either from ethnobotanical or chemotaxonomical data, were screened for their antileishmanial activity against Leishmania amazonensis. The cytotoxic activity against normal peritoneal macrophages from normal BALB/c mice was also determined. Eight extracts had IC50 values ranging from <12.5 to 37.8 µg/mL against promastigo...

An orally delivered, safe and effective treatment for leishmaniasis is an unmet medical need. Azoles and the pyrazolylpyrimidine allopurinol present leishmanicidal activity, but their clinical efficacies are variable. Here, we describe the activity of the new pyrazolyltetrazole hybrid, 5-[5-amino-1-(4'-methoxyphenyl)1H-pyrazole-4-yl]1H-tetrazole (MSN20). MSN20 showed a 50% inhibitory concentrat...

The chloroform extract of Valeriana wallichii (V. wallichii) rhizomes was investigated to elucidate the structures responsible for reported antileishmanial activity. Besides bornyl caffeate (1, already been reported by us previously), bioassay-guided fractionation resulted in two additional cinnamic acid derivatives 2-3 with moderate leishmanicidal activity. The structure of a novel nepetolacto...