Oleanolic acid, a bioactive component of the leaves of Ocimum gratissimum (Lamiaceae)

Abstract

Bioactivity-guided fractionation of the leaves of Ocimum gratissimum L. (Lamiaceae), using the brine shrimp lethality test, led to the isolation of oleanolic acid. Oleanolic acid showed bioactivity against a panel of six human solid tumor cell lines, the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans and yellow fever mosquito larvae Aedes aegypti. Details of the isolation and bioactivities are described. © Swets & Zeitlinger.