Biological activities of alkaloids from Pseuduvaria setosa

Abstract

Two dioxoaporphine alkaloids, N-methylouregidione (1) and ouregidione (2), and two oxoaporphine alkaloids, liriodenine (3) and oxostephanine (4), were isolated from the aerial part of Pseuduvaria setosa (King) J. Sinclair. All four alkaloids displayed antituberculosis activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis, with 3 as the most active at minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 12.5 μg/ml. Compound 3 was also the only alkaloid isolated from this plant that displayed antimalarial activity against Plasmodium falciparum with the 50% inhibitory concentration (IC 50 ) of 2.8 μg/ml. Compounds 3 and 4 were strongly cytotoxic to both epidermoid carcinoma (KB) and breast cancer (BC) cell lines, whereas 2 was moderately active against BC cells. Both 1 and 2 were active against small cell lung cancer (NCI-H187) cell line and were able to stimulate lymphocyte proliferation with stimulation indices (SI) of more than 1. © 2006 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.