Chemical constituents from the roots of Spathelia excelsa and their antiprotozoal activity

phytochemical investigation from roots of spathelia excelsa yielded the chromones 10(2,3-epoxy-3-methylbutanyl) spatheliachromen and 10(2,3-dihydroxy-3-methylbutanyl) methoxyspatheliacromen (5-methoxyspatheliabischromen); limonoid deacetylspathelin and protolimonoid c-21-epimers 3β-angeloyloxy-7α,24,25-trihydroxy-21,23-oxide-14,18-cycloapotirucall-21-hemiacetal; the alkaloids 7,8-dimethoxyflindersin, casimiroin and n-methyl-4,7,8-trimethoxyquinolin-2(1h)-one, besides a mixture of β-sitosterol and stigmasterol. assays on promastigote forms of leishmania braziliensis, deacetylspathelin showed moderate activity; and on epimastigote forms of trypanossoma cruzi, 10(2,3-epoxy-3-methylbutanyl)spatheliachromen exhibited strong activity (ic50 = 11 μg ml-1).