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Chemical studies on the roots of Uvaria welwitschii

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Abstract

A chemical investigation of the chloroform extract of the roots of Uvaria welwitschii (Annonaceae), an African traditional medicine taken for stomach ache, led to the isolation of eight new compounds, named welwitschins A–H (1–8), together with five known compounds (9–13). The structural elucidation by spectroscopic studies of the compounds isolated is described. All new compounds were flavonoids having a 2-hydroxy-3,4,6-trimethoxyphenyl moiety in the A-ring, and unsubstituted phenyl in the B-ring. Four of them (1–4) were monomeric flavonoids while the others (5–8) were dimeric flavonoids. The cytotoxicity of the isolated compounds against human promyelocytic leukemia HL-60 cells was investigated.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Natural Medicinal Chemistry, Kobe Pharmaceutical University, 4-19-1 Motoyamakita-machi, Higashinada-ku, Kobe, 658-8558, Japan

    Masataka Moriyasu, Noriyoshi Nakatani, Momoyo Ichimaru, Yumi Nishiyama & Atsushi Kato

  2. Department of Botany, University of Nairobi, P.O. Box 30197, Nairobi, Kenya

    Simon G. Mathenge & Patrick B. Chalo Mutiso

  3. Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Kenyatta National Hospital, University of Nairobi, P.O. Box 19676, Nairobi, Kenya

    Francis D. Juma

Authors
  1. Masataka Moriyasu
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  2. Noriyoshi Nakatani
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  3. Momoyo Ichimaru
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  4. Yumi Nishiyama
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  5. Atsushi Kato
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  6. Simon G. Mathenge
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  7. Francis D. Juma
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  8. Patrick B. Chalo Mutiso
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Correspondence to Masataka Moriyasu.

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Moriyasu, M., Nakatani, N., Ichimaru, M. et al. Chemical studies on the roots of Uvaria welwitschii . J Nat Med 65, 313–321 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11418-010-0498-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11418-010-0498-2

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