Antifungal Saponins from the Maya Medicinal Plant Cestrum schlechtendahlii G. Don (Solanaceae)

Chieu Anh Kim Ta; J Antonio Guerrero-Analco; Elizabeth Roberts; Rui Liu; Christopher D Mogg; Ammar Saleem; Marco Otárola-Rojas; Luis Poveda; Pablo Sanchez-Vindas; Victor Cal; Federico Caal; Rajagopal Subramaniam; Myron L Smith; John T Arnason

doi:10.1002/ptr.5545

Antifungal Saponins from the Maya Medicinal Plant Cestrum schlechtendahlii G. Don (Solanaceae)

Phytother Res. 2016 Mar;30(3):439-46. doi: 10.1002/ptr.5545. Epub 2015 Dec 15.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Laboratory for Analysis of Natural and Synthetic Environmental Toxins (LANSET), Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada.
² Red de Estudios Moleculares Avanzados, Instituto de Ecología A.C., Carretera Antigua a Coatepec, Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico.
³ Department of Biology, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
⁴ Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
⁵ Herbario Juvenal Valerio Rodriguez, Universidad Nacional Autonoma (UNA), Heredia, Costa Rica.
⁶ Belize Indigenous Training Institute, Punta Gorda, Belize.

PMID: 26666462
DOI: 10.1002/ptr.5545

Abstract

Bioassay-guided fractionation of the crude extract (80% EtOH) of the leaves of Cestrum schlechtendahlii, a plant used by Q'eqchi' Maya healers for treatment of athlete's foot, resulted in the isolation and identification of two spirostanol saponins (1 and 2). Structure elucidation by MS, 1D-NMR, and 2D-NMR spectroscopic methods identified them to be the known saponin (25R)-1β,2α-dihydroxy-5α-spirostan-3-β-yl-O-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1 → 2)-β-D-galactopyranoside (1) and new saponin (25R)-1β,2α-dihydroxy-5α-spirostan-3-β-yl-O-β-D-galactopyranoside (2). While 2 showed little or no antifungal activity at the highest concentration tested, 1 inhibited growth of Saccharomyces cerevisiae (minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 15-25 μM), Candida albicans, Cryptococcus neoformans, and Fusarium graminearum (MIC of 132-198 μM).

Keywords: Cestrum schlechtendahlii; Q'eqchi' Maya; Solanaceae; antifungal; saponin; traditional medicine.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Antifungal Agents / chemistry
Antifungal Agents / isolation & purification
Antifungal Agents / pharmacology*
Candida albicans / drug effects
Cestrum / chemistry*
Cryptococcus neoformans / drug effects
Ethnicity
Fungi / drug effects*
Fusarium / drug effects
Humans
Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy
Medicine, Traditional
Microbial Sensitivity Tests
Molecular Structure
Phytotherapy
Plant Extracts / chemistry
Plant Extracts / pharmacology*
Plant Leaves / chemistry
Plants, Medicinal
Saccharomyces cerevisiae / drug effects
Saponins / chemistry
Saponins / isolation & purification
Saponins / pharmacology*
Solanaceae
Spirostans / chemistry
Spirostans / isolation & purification
Spirostans / pharmacology*

Substances

(25R)-1beta,2alpha-dihydroxy-5alpha-spirostan-3-beta-yl-O-alpha-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1-2)-beta-D-galactopyranoside
(25R)-1beta,2alpha-dihydroxy-5alpha-spirostan-3-beta-yl-O-beta-D-galactopyranoside
Antifungal Agents
Plant Extracts
Saponins
Spirostans