Leishmanicidal Triterpenes from Lantana camara.

Two new natural triterpenes, lantaninilic acid and lantoic acid, along with the known triterpenes lantadene A, and oleanolic, ursolic, betulinic, lantanolic, and camaric acid, were obtained from the aerial parts of Lantana camara through bioassay-guided isolation, monitoring the in vitro antileishmanial activity against promastigotes of Leishmania major. Oleanolic acid (3), ursolic acid (4), lantadene A (5), and lantanilic acid (7) showed significant leishmanicidal activities with IC50 values of 53.0, 12.4, 20.4, and 21.3 μM, respectively. The IC50 value of ursolic acid (4; 12.4 μM) was found to be comparable with that of the standard drugs, pentamidine (IC50 15.0 μM) and amphotericin B (IC50 0.31 μM). The in vitro activities of L. camara and its constituents against promastigotes of Leishmania major are reported here for the first time.