ANTIPARASITIC COMPOUNDS FROM EAST-AFRICAN PLANTS - ISOLATION AND BIOLOGICAL-ACTIVITY OF ANONAINE, MATRICARIANOL, CANTHIN-6-ONE AND CARYOPHYLLENE OXIDE

Five natural compounds possessing antiparasitic activity were isolated from Fast African plants and tested, together with some semisynthetic derivatives, against micro-organisms and arthropods of agricultural i nterest. Anonaine (1), from Annona squamosa, canthin-6-one (8) and 5-m ethoxycanthin-6-one (9), from Fagaropsis angolensis, showed fungicidal activity. E,Z-matricarianol (4), from Hoehnelia vernonioides was fung icidal, insecticidal and acaricidal. Caryophyllene oxide (12), isolate d from Uvaria sp., turned out to be insecticidal and antireedant. Cant hin-6-one (8) and its dihydroderivative 11 were the most effective ant imicrobial compounds tested. The possibility of using some of the isol ated compounds as leads for new synthetic chemicals is discussed.