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Abstract
Previous results have revealed the antifilarial activities of crude extracts and pure compounds from some Cameroonian medicinal plants against Onchocerca volvulus and Onchocerca gutturosa. In our efforts to find new filaricidal agents against adult male O. gutturosa worms, we have isolated and screened three compounds: polycarpol and polyveoline from Polyalthia suaveolens (Annonaceae) and 3-O-acetyl aleuritolic acid from Discoglypremna caloneura (Euphorbiaceae). Only polycarpol and 3-O-acetyl aleuritolic acid exhibited significant inhibitory activities on the vitality of adult male worms of O. gutturosa using Amocarzine as positive control compound. The motility reduction values were 28.6 and 57.1%, and the inhibition of MTT reduction values 80.0 and 64.8% respectively.
Acknowledgements
This work is partly supported by a joint grant from IFS (International Foundation for Science) to B. N., and by the European Commission through its INCO-DC grant ICA4-CT-2001-10075. The authors are indebted to Dr Richard Pink (WHO/TDR/DDR) for his assistance in the screening and to Prof. B. Sonke for exemplary collaboration, and are also grateful to Dr S. Townson from the Northwick Park Institute for Medical Research, Harrow, UK for the different biology tests done here, and to Dr J.P. Muluh (UYI/FS/DBC) for useful input in interpreting the biological results.