molecules Article The Alkaloid-Enriched Fraction of Pachysandra terminalis (Buxaceae) Shows Prominent Activity against Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense Dagmar Flittner 1, Marcel Kaiser 2,3, Pascal Mäser 2,3 , Norberto P. Lopes 4 and Thomas J. Schmidt 1,* 1 Institute of Pharmaceutical Biology and Phytochemistry (IPBP), University of Münster, PharmaCampus, Corrensstr. 48, D-48149 Münster, Germany; dagmar.fl
[email protected] 2 Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Swiss TPH), Socinstrasse 57, CH-4051 Basel, Switzerland;
[email protected] (M.K.);
[email protected] (P.M.) 3 University of Basel, Petersplatz 1, CH-4003 Basel, Switzerland 4 Núcleo de Pesquisa em Produtos Naturais e Sintéticos (NPPNS), Department of Biomolecular Sciences from School of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Av. Do Café s/n CEP, 14040-903 Ribeirão Preto-SP, Brazil;
[email protected] * Correspondence:
[email protected]; Tel.: +49-251-83-33378 Abstract: In the course of our studies on antiprotozoal natural products and following our recent discovery that certain aminosteroids and aminocycloartanoid compounds from Holarrhena africana A. DC. (Apocynaceae) and Buxus sempervirens L. (Buxaceae), respectively, are strong and selective antit- rypanosomal agents, we have extended these studies to another plant, related to the latter—namely, Pachysandra terminalis Sieb. and Zucc. (Buxaceae). This species is known to contain aminosteroids similar to those of Holarrhena and structurally related to the aminocycloartanoids of Buxus. The dicholoromethane extract obtained from aerial parts of P. terminalis and, in particular, its alkaloid fraction obtained by acid–base partitioning showed prominent activity against Trypanosoma brucei Citation: Flittner, D.; Kaiser, M.; Mäser, P.; Lopes, N.P.; Schmidt, T.J.