Novel Bufadienolides from South African (Hyacinthaceae)

Abstract

Over three million people in South Africa use traditional plant medicine for health care purposes. South Africa's plant biodiversity indicate a high potential for the discovery of bioactive chemicals. The bulbs of Urginavia altissima (syn. Urginea altissima, Drimia altissima) is ethnomedicinally used in South Africa for treatment of gout, rheumatism and respiratory complaints. The compounds expected to be isolated from this plant include bufadienolides, which are polyhydroxylated steroids and their glycosides. Bufadienolides are reported to possess diverse biological activities. Proscillaridin, a drug traded by GSK as stellarid, is a bufadienolide used for the treatment of congestive heart failure and cardiac arrhythmia. In this study Urginavia altissima has yielded nine novel bufadienolides and several known compounds including, scilliglaucoside, 1β,6α-dihydroxy-4(15)-eudesmene and a polyhydroxylated furan derivative, polybotrin. The structures of the compounds were elucidated using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, Infrared and Mass spectrometry. The compounds will be submitted to National Cancer Institute (NCI) for anticancer screening against NCI 59 human tumour cell lines.

In vitro propagation via organogenesis and synthetic seeds of Urginea altissima (L.f.) Baker: a threatened medicinal plant

“…The plant is used traditionally for the treatment of influenza, asthma, bronchitis, warts, rheumatism, cancer, congestive heart failure and cardiac arrhythmia (Watt and Breyer-Brandwijk 1962;Hutchings 1989;Hutchings et al 1996;Langat et al 2013). It is also used as an abortifacient and emmenagogue (Hutchings 1989;Langat et al 2013). The plant produces various bioactive compounds, viz.…”

“…The plant produces various bioactive compounds, viz. bufadienolides, scilliglaucoside, 1β, 6α-dihydroxy-4(15)-eudesmene and a polyhydroxylated furan derivative, polybotrin (Langat et al 2013). The ornamental and medicinal important wild populations of Urginea altissima are over-exploited and the plant has thus been categorized as a threatened species in the Red Data List of South African Plants (Williams et al 2016;SANBI 2017).…”