initial characterization of crude extracts from phyllanthus amarus

Current Research on Phytochemicals
The wood/bark of Quassia contains many phytochemicals and is 50 times more
bitter than quinine (Tirimana, 1987; Duke, 1992). The bitter principles of quassia wood
are quassinoids (terpenoid compounds), present in amounts of ~0.25% from which 0.1-
0.15% are quassin, neoquassin and 18-hydroxy-quassin. The bitterness index (BI) of
quassin/neoquassin is 17×10 6 (Wagner and Bladt, 1996). Other quassinoids present in the
wood are: isoquassin, parain, quassimarin, quassinol, and quassol (Tirimana, 1987; Duke,
1992). Chemically, quassinoids are seco-triterpene-δ-lactones mostly found in the family
Simaroubaceae (Vitányi et al., 1997). Quassinoids are secondary metabolites with
phytotoxic and allelopathic activities (Dayan et al., 1999).
Quassinoids have been identified as the major class of compounds responsible for
biological activity in this family (Dou, 1996). So far, 170 quassinoids have been isolated
and characterized. These compounds have a wide spectrum of biological activity:
antileukemic, anti-inflammatory cytotoxic effects, and antifertility activity. Quassinoids
are also important as an acaricide and insecticide (Vitányi et al., 1997). Fukamiya et al.
(1990) and Polonsky (1985) note the antimalarial and amoebicidal biological activities of
quassinoids.
Quassinoids are the active constituents of the Quassia wood and have been
investigated as anti-tumor agents (Barbetti, 1986). Several of the quassinoids found in the
bark have been documented with antineoplastic actions and as anti-ulcer agents.
Analytical studies of quassinoids have been conducted using High Performance Liquid
Chromatography (HPLC). In 1984, Robins and Rhodes reported HPLC methods for the
analysis and purification of quassinoids (i.e. quassin, neoquassin) from Quassia amara.
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