ABSTRACT
Phytochemical investigation of the stem bark of Campylospermum zenkeri led to the isolation of five known compounds: (Z,Z)-9,12-octadecadienoic acid (1), serotobenine (2), agathisflavone (3), lophirone A (4) and lophirone F (5), together with a new derivative of procyanidin B, a catechin dimer named zenkerinol (6). Serotobenine (2) is structurally related to decursivine which shows moderate activity against D6 and W2 strains of Plasmodium falciparum. For a better understanding of structure-activity relationships, three new semi-synthetic derivatives of serotobenine (2) have been prepared. These are: serotobenine monopropionate (2a), serotobenine monopivalate (2b) and serotobenine cyclohexyl ether (2c) respectively. Two of them (2a) and (2b), were evaluated for their antiplasmodial activity against P. falciparum 3D7 strain in a parasite lactate-dehydrogenase (pLDH) assay. Compound 2b was more active than compound 2a based on their IC50 values (36.6 and 123 µM, respectively).
