Bioactivity of 'Flemingin A' and other Natural Products from the leaves of Flemingia grahamiana
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Date
2011Author
Yenesew, Abiy
Gumuia, Ivan
Heydenreich, Mathias
Derese, Solomon
Okalebo, Faith A.
Ndiege, Isaiah O.
Erdelyi, Mate
Type
ArticleLanguage
enMetadata
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Flemingia graharriiana (Wight & Arn.) is an erect herb or sub-shrub up to 1.8 m tall with deep
(sometimes tuberous) roots and 3-foliate alternate leaves. It is distributed in Tropical Africa and
occurs in open and wooded savanna, sometimes near water in riverine vegetation, on hillside,
termite mounds and along roadsides (Gillett, et 01., 1971; Jansen, 2005). The powder from the fruits
and inflorescence of the plant is one of the principal sources of a dye and cosmetic called 'Waras
(or Wurrus, or black kamala), sold in India and Arabia (Cardillo, et 01., 1968; Jansen, 2005). The root
decoction of the plant is used against diarrhoea and dysentery in Zimbabwe and Malawi. The plant
is also used externally against skin diseases and internally as a purgative and against colds in India
(Jansen, 2005).
In our search for cancer chemopreventive agents from plants, we wish to report the antioxidant
properties of a known chalcone, Flemingin A (1) and the cR-afa~cterization of a new chalcone with a
3,4-disubstituted-l-methylcyclohexene moiety (2) from the leaves of F. grahamiana. Also reported,
for the first time from the genus Flemingia, is the known ~lnthra"quinone, emodin (3).
Citation
The 14th NAPRECA symposium and AAMPS Ethnoveterinary medicine symposium Nairpobi 2011Publisher
Department of Chemistry; Kyambogo University, Department of Chemistry, University of Nairobi, Department of Chemistry, University of Gothenburg,