Herbal medicines and infectious diseases: characterization by LC-SPE-NMR of some medicinal plant extracts used against malaria.

The extracts of two medicinal plants used in traditionalmedicine against malariawere characterized by means of an LC‑SPE‑NMR and LC‑MS platform. The structure of a series of major constituents from Bafodeya benna, as well as minor constituents from Ormocarpum kirkii, was determined. Bafodeya benna was found to contain (2R,3R)-taxifolin-3-O-α-L-rhamnoside or astilbin, and its isomers neoastilbin, neoisoastilbin, and isoastilbin, as well as quercetin-3-O-α-L-rhamnoside. From Ormocarpum kirkii, a series of known flavonoids and biflavonoids was obtained, as well as three new compounds, i.e., 7,7′′-di-O-β-D-glucosyl-(−)-chamaejasmin, 7-O-β-D-glucosyl-(I-3,II-3)-biliquiritigenin, and isovitexin-(I-3,II-3)-naringenin. The isolated constituents may explain, at least in part, the traditional use against malaria. LC‑SPE‑NMR, in combination with LC‑MS, is a powerful tool for the fast characterization of plant extracts, in order to define priorities at an early stage of a fractionation procedure. In addition, herbal medicinal products can completely be characterized, both with regard to their major as well as their minor constituents. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.