Molecules 2013, 18(1), 311-321; doi:10.3390/molecules18010311
Communication

Anthraquinones of the Roots of Pentas micrantha

Milkyas Endale 1,2 , Annabel Ekberg 2 , John Patrick Alao 2 , Hoseah M. Akala 3 , Albert Ndakala 1 , Per Sunnerhagen 2 , Máté Erdélyi 2,4,* email and Abiy Yenesew 1,* email
1 Department of Chemistry, University of Nairobi, P.O. Box 30197-00100, Nairobi, Kenya 2 Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Gothenburg, SE-412 96 Gothenburg, Sweden 3 United States Army Medical Research Unit-Kenya, MRU 64109, APO, AE 09831, USA 4 Swedish NMR Center, University of Gothenburg, P.O. Box 465, SE-405 30 Gothenburg, Sweden
* Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Received: 4 December 2012; in revised form: 19 December 2012 / Accepted: 20 December 2012 / Published: 27 December 2012
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Natural Products against Human Parasites)
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Abstract: Pentas micrantha is used in the East African indigenous medicine to treat malaria. In the first investigation of this plant, the crude methanol root extract showed moderate antiplasmodial activity against the W2- (3.37 μg/mL) and D6-strains (4.00 μg/mL) of Plasmodium falciparum and low cytotoxicity (>450 μg/mL, MCF-7 cell line). Chromatographic separation of the extract yielded nine anthraquinones, of which 5,6-dihydroxylucidin-11-O-methyl ether is new. Isolation of a munjistin derivative from the genus Pentas is reported here for the first time. The isolated constituents were identified by NMR and mass spectrometric techniques and showed low antiplasmodial activities.
Keywords: anthraquinone; malaria; Pentas micrantha; Rubiaceae; 5,6-dihydroxylucidin-11-O-methyl ether

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MDPI and ACS Style

Endale, M.; Ekberg, A.; Alao, J.P.; Akala, H.M.; Ndakala, A.; Sunnerhagen, P.; Erdélyi, M.; Yenesew, A. Anthraquinones of the Roots of Pentas micrantha. Molecules 2013, 18, 311-321.

AMA Style

Endale M, Ekberg A, Alao JP, Akala HM, Ndakala A, Sunnerhagen P, Erdélyi M, Yenesew A. Anthraquinones of the Roots of Pentas micrantha. Molecules. 2013; 18(1):311-321.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Endale, Milkyas; Ekberg, Annabel; Alao, John P.; Akala, Hoseah M.; Ndakala, Albert; Sunnerhagen, Per; Erdélyi, Máté; Yenesew, Abiy. 2013. "Anthraquinones of the Roots of Pentas micrantha." Molecules 18, no. 1: 311-321.

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