Bioactive flavonoids from Kaempferia parviflora.

Nine flavonoids (1-9) have been isolated from Kaempferia parviflora. Among these, 5,7,4'-trimethoxyflavone (8) and 5,7,3',4'-tetramethoxyflavone (9) exhibited antiplasmodial activity against Plasmodium falciparum, with IC50 values of 3.70 and 4.

Diuretic effects of selected Thai indigenous medicinal plants in rats.

Extracts of five indigenous Thai medicinal having ethnomedical application in the treatment of dysuria were investigated for their diuretic activity. Root extracts of Ananas comosus and Carica papaya, given orally to rats at a dose of 10 mg/kg, demonstrated significantly increased urine output (P < 0.01) which was 79 and 74%, respectively, of the effect of an equivalent dose of hydrochlorothiazide.

Biological screening of rain forest plot trees from Palawan Island (Philippines).

Study plots totaling 0.2 Ha were established in primary forest in the highlands of central Palawan Island, Philippines. Samples of various anatomical parts [typically leaf + twig (If/tw), stem bark (sb), and root (rt)] were collected from all tree species represented within the plots by individuals having a diameter at breast height > or = 10 cm.

Assessment of the antimalarial potential of tetraoxane WR 148999.

The antimalarial peroxide, dispiro-1,2,4,5-tetraoxane WR 148999, was synergistic with chloroquine, quinine, mefloquine, and artemisinin against both D6 and W2 clones of Plasmodium falciparum. In consideration of the contrasting antagonism between artemisinin and chloroquine, these drug combination data imply that WR 148999 and artemisinin may not share a common mechanism of action. For Plasmodium berghei-infected mice given oral, subcutaneous, and intraperitoneal doses of WR 148999 ranging from 2 to 1024 mg/kg in the Thompson test, median survival times were 8.

Antiplasmodial and cytotoxic activity of natural bisbenzylisoquinoline alkaloids.

As part of an ongoing collaborative effort to discover new antimalarial agents from natural sources, we have tested 53 bisbenzylisoquinoline alkaloids for cytotoxicity against cultured mammalian cells and for antiplasmodial activity against chloroquine-sensitive and chloroquine-resistant clones of Plasmodium falciparum. The isolates from Cyclea barbata, Stephania pierrei, Stephania erecta, Pachygone dasycarpa, Cyclea atjehensis, Hernandia peltata, Curare candicans, Albertisia papuana, and Berberis valdiviana exhibited a wide range of biological potencies in antiplasmodial assays, and the majority exhibited some degree of cytotoxicity against human KB cells. More than half of the compounds tested, however, showed selective antiplasmodial activity, with >100-fold greater toxicity toward one or both of the P.