GARDINERIN, A BIOLOGICALLY ACTIVE ACETOGENIN FROM THE SRI LANKAN GONIOTHALAMUS GARDINERI HOOK. F. AND THOMSON Original Article

Objective: The study was undertaken to isolate biologically active compounds from Goniothalamus gardineri, a plant endemic to Sri Lanka. Methods: Roots and flowers of Goniothalamus gardineri were extracted into dichloromethane and methanol. A new acetogenin, gardinerin isolated by column chromatography of the dichloromethane extract was structurally characterized using NMR and Mass spectroscopies. It was found to be mosquito larvicidal (against 2nd Results: Gardinerin exhibited potent mosquitolarvicidal activity (LC instar larvae of Aedes aegypti), cytotoxic (in the brine shrimp assay) and antioxidant (DPPH assay). 50 = 0.0744±0.37 ppm.), cytotoxicity (LC 50 = 1.5±0.37 ppm) and antioxidant activity (IC 50 Conclusion: The endemic plant G. gardineri has yielded an acetogenin possessing highly potent antioxidant, cytotoxic and mosquitolarvicidal activity. =10.02±0.01 ppm). The same extract furnished (5R)-goniothalamin. The hexane extract of the flowers of G. gardineri yielded poriferesterol and stigmast-4, 22-dien-3-one.