Bioactive Sesquiterpenes, Alkaloids and Flavonoids from three Annonaceous Species

Abstract

The stem bark extracts of three species of the Annonaceae family namely Friesodielsia enghiana, Artabotrys stenopetalus and Uvaria mocoli showed toxicity to the brine shrimp Artemia salina. Series of chromatographic fractionations led to the isolation of a wide range of chemically diverse compounds including sesquiterpenes, alkaloids and flavonoids. 25 of these compounds showed various degrees of toxicity to the brine shrimp, over 80% showing LC50 < 100 g/ml.