REVISTA BOLIVIANA DE QUÍMICA VOLUMEN 20, No.1 - 2003 A CONTRIBUTION TO ATTENUATION OF HEALTH PROBLEMS IN BOLIVIA: BIOACTIVE NATURAL COMPOUNDS FROM NATIVE PLANTS REPORTED IN TRADITIONAL MEDICINE José Antonio Bravo; 1 * Michel Sauvain 2 ; Alberto Giménez 3 ; Georges Massiot 4 ; Eric Deharo 2 ; Catherine Lavaud 4 1 Instituto de Investigaciones Químicas, Universidad mayor de San Andrés CP 303 la Paz Bolivia; 2 Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, 213 rue Lafayette, 75480 Paris cedex 10, France; 3 Instituto de Investigaciones Farmaco Bioquímicas, Universidad Mayor de San Andrés, CP 20606, La Paz, Bolivia; 4 Laboratoire de Pharmacognosie UMR 6013 CNRS Bâtiment 18, BP 1039, 51097 Reims, Cedex 2 *Corresponding author: jbravo@acelerate.com Key Words: Spectral Analysis, Pharmacognosy, Traditional Medicine, Natural Substances, Antiparasitic, Antibacterial, Antifungal, Bolivia. RESUMEN Un estudio fitoquímico bioguiado por ensayos biológicos antiparasitarios (Plasmodium falciparum, P. berghei, Leishmania braziliensis, L. amazonensis, L. donovani y Trypanosoma cruzi), antibacterianos (Shigella flexneri, Staphylococcus aureus y otras bacterias) y antifúngicos (Neurospora crassa y Candida albicans) de seis plantas bolivianas fue realizado. Las especies fueron seleccionadas de farmacopeas de tres etnias Bolivianas; de la etnia Chácobo: Amburana cearensis (Fabaceae) y Qualea paraensis (Vochysiaceae); de la etnia Raqaypampeños: Dunalia brachyacantha (Solanaceae) y Notholaena nivea var. flava (Pteridaceae); y de la etnia Tacana: Cavanillesia aff. hylogeiton (Bombacaceae). La especie Senecio smithioides (Asteraceae) reportada en la farmacopea Kallawaya fue igualmente estudiada. Diez y ocho compuestos potencialmente activos (entre ellos cinco de estructura nueva), fueron identificados a través de análisis espectroscópicos. Los resultados más significativos corresponden a un sesquiterpeno antipalúdico, dos withanólidos trypanocidas y leishmanicidas, y dos flavanonas antifúngicas. ABSTRACT A phytochemical study monitored by antiparasite (Plasmodium falciparum, Leishmania braziliensis, L. amazonensis, L. donovani and Trypanosoma cruzi), antibacterial (Shigella flexneri, Staphylococcus aureus and other bacteria) and antifungal (Neurospora crassa and Candida albicans) assays of six bolivian plants has been achieved. The plants were collected according to ethnobotanic criteria from three bolivian ethnic groups; from the Chacobo ethnic group; Amburana cearensis (Fabaceae) and Qualea paraensis (Vochysiaceae), from the Raqaypampeños ethnic group: Dunalia brachyacantha (Solanaceae) and Notholaena nivea var. flava (Pteridaceae) and from the Tacanas ethnic group: Cavanillesia aff. hylogeiton (Bombacaceae). The species Senecio smithioides (Asteraceae) reported in the Kallawaya Pharmacopoeia has also been studied. Eighteen pure compounds (comprising five new structures) potentially actives were identified by spectroscopic methods. The identified active principles, concern one antimalarial sesquiterpene, two potent leishmanicidal and trypanocidal withanolides and two antifungal flavanones. INTRODUCTION An important percentage of the Bolivian population exhibits very low public health levels, settling the country among the more affected in Latin America. Rural people particularly in the tropics suffer of parasite diseases. The diarrhea specially in children is connected to low immunology caused by malnutrition, and the respiratory as well as fungal diseases are both common in population of scarce economic, social and cultural resources. A survey of remedies based on plants reported in Bolivian traditional native pharmacopoeia, constitutes a good field to start a quest of anti-parasite, and anti-infectious active principles. Plants reported by three ethnic groups, the Tacanas, the Chacobos and the Raqaypampeños have been selected for a exhausting-intended-search of active molecules. The Tacanas and Chacobos are settled in the northern-eastern tropical regions of the country. The Raqaypampeños ethnic group is situated in the inter Andean valleys or transition geographic places between the tropics and the high lands. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 11