Antileishmanial Germacranolides from Calea zacatechichi

Phytochemical study of the leaves and stems of Calea zacatechichi Schl. (Asteraceae) led to the isolation of a series of six germacranolides (1-6) with significant antileishmanial activity. The structure of a new compound named by us as calealactone D (1) was determined by NMR and MS, and its absolute configuration by X-ray crystallography. In addition, calealactone E (5) was discovered as a new naturally occurring compound, and the absolute configuration of calealaotone C (2) was also determined by X-ray crystallography. All compounds were biologically evaluated in antimicrobial and antiprotozoal assays.