Antiplasmodial activities of sesquiterpene lactone from Carpesium cernum.

The whole plant of genus Carpesium is used in traditional medicine as an anti-pyretic, analgesic and vermifugic, including a topical application for sores and inflammation. Previous experiments on Carpesium rosulatum suggested that the antiplasmodial effect was due to the existence of ineupatorolide A. In present paper, screening of Carpesium species from South Korea showed that this plant refers to which species had promising antiplasmodial activity. Subsequently, this species was selected for bioassay-guided fractionation in order to identify the active principles. Fractionation of the ethyl acetate extract of the whole plants by chromatographic techniques yielded four characterised sesquiterpenoid lactones which exhibited antiplasmodial activity against Plasmodium falciparum. This being the first time that this has been reported from Carpesium cernum. The antiplasmodial activity of the isolated compounds was determined against the Plasmodium falciparum.