2-furyl(phenyl)methanol isolated from Atractilis gummifera rhizome exhibits anti-leishmanial activity

Abstract

We report for the first time the isolation of 2-furyl(phenyl)methanol (5) from the chloroform extracts of the Atractylis gummifera roots. A. gummifera is a thistle belonging to the Asteraceae family that produces the entkaurane diterpenoid glycoside atractyloside (ATR). ATR (1) was isolated and chemically modified to obtain its aglycone atractyligenin (2) and the methylated derivatives ATR-OMe (3) and genine-OMe (4). The compounds 1-5 were structurally characterised and evaluated against the intracellular amastigote, cultured within macrophages, and the extracellular promastigote of Leishmania donovani, the protozoan parasite responsible for the highly infective disease visceral leishmaniasis, which is fatal if untreated. The 2-furyl(phenyl)methanol 5 exhibited notable activity against the promastigote.

Synthetic Derivatives of Natural ent-Kaurane Atractyligenin Disclose Anticancer Properties in Colon Cancer Cells, Triggering Apoptotic Cell Demise

“…The reactivity of the electrophilic group towards the Cys/Sec system is also supported by recent results on the Trx-inhibitory activity of oridonine [39]. Furthermore, the evaluation of the antibiotic properties of 1, 2, and 4 against Enterococcus faecalis, Escherichia coli, and Staphylococcus aureus [40]; their anti-leishmania activity [41]; and the inhibition of skin photoaging by atractyligenin (1) [42] have recently been reported.…”