A new aminosteroid, 3 beta-amino-22,26-epiminocholest-5-ene named sarachine
(1), and two known flavonoids, eriodictyol (2) and 7-O-beta-D-glucopyranos
yl-eriodictyol (3), were isolated from the leaves of Saracha punctata. The
alkaloid was found to inhibit the growth of Leishmania braziliensis promast
igotes (100% at 25 mu M) and of Trypanosoma cruzi epimastigotes in culture
(50% at 25 mu M) and showed a strong in vitro antiplasmodial activity with
an IC50 of 25 nM.