title: Biological activity of saponins from two Dracaena species.
abstract: Many species of the west African "soap tree" Dracaena are used in traditional medicine for the treatment of a variety of diseases. In continuation of our search for anti-infective agents from plants implicated in traditional medicine, we evaluated the biological activities of saponins from extracts of Dracaena mannii and Dracaena arborea by using a battery of test systems such as radiorespirometry, Cytosensor bioautography, and agar dilution methods and molluscicidal tests. Bioassay-directed fractionation of the methanol extracts of seed pulp using a combination of chromatographic techniques, gel filtration, droplet countercurrent chromatography (DCCC), and low-pressure liquid chromatography (Lobar), led to the isolation and characterization of spiroconazole A, a pennogenin triglycoside [3 beta-O-[(alpha-L-rhamnopyranosyl(1-->2), alpha-L-rhamnopyranosyl(1-->3)-beta-D-glucopyranosyl]-17 alpha-hydroxyl-spirost-5-ene] (Fig. 1). As the active constituent, spiroconazole A exhibited pronounced antileishmanial, antimalarial, and molluscicidal activities. This paper also reports on the fungistatic, fungicidal and bacteriostatic activity of spiroconazole A against 17 species of fungi and 4 of bacteria.
authors.affiliation: Division of Experimental Therapeutics, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Washington, DC 20307-5100, USA.
authors.forename: C O
authors.initials: CO
authors.lastname: Okunji
authors.forename: M M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Iwu
authors.forename: J E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Jackson
authors.forename: J D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Tally
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000935:Antifungal Agents / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology; D000962:Antimalarials / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology; D002240:Carbohydrate Sequence; D005658:Fungi / Q000187:drug effects; D007891:Leishmania / Q000187:drug effects; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D008975:Molluscacides / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000633:toxicity; D010946:Plants, Medicinal / Q000737:chemistry*; D010963:Plasmodium falciparum / Q000187:drug effects; D012503:Saponins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D012908:Snails / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D000935:Antifungal Agents; D000962:Antimalarials; D008975:Molluscacides; D012503:Saponins