Nat Prod Res. 2003 Apr; 17(2): 127-33.

Antitrichomonas in vitro activity of Cussonia holstii Engl.

He W, Van Puyvelde L, Maes L, Bosselaers J, De Kimpe N.

Department of Organic Chemistry, Faculty of Agricultural and Applied Biological Sciences, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, 9000 Ghent, Belgium.

Cussonia holstii is a traditional medicinal plant used in Kenya, which has not been studied chemically up-to-date. Upon biological screening, a substantial antitrichomonas activity was found in the dichloromethane extract of the bark of Cussonia holstii. A detailed chromatographic study using centrifugal partition chromatography revealed that a pentacyclic triterpenoid, i.e., hederagenin, is the antitrichomonas constituent of the plant with a IC50 of 2.8 microM.