Studies on Aristolochia III. Isolation and biological evaluation of constituents of Aristolochia indica roots for fertility-regulating activity.

An ethanol extract of Aristolochia indica roots decreased fertility in both rats and hamsters when administered postcoitally (days 1-10 and 1-6, respectively). Petroleum ether (A), CHCl3 (B), and aqueous (C) fractions, tested similarly in rats, were inactive and/or toxic. Partition of fraction B afforded non-acidic (D) and acidic (E) fractions. Savinin (1), isolated from fraction D and not previously reported from the Aristolochiaceae , was inactive when administered postcoitally to rats. Aristolochic acid-I (2), reported previously from A. indica and isolated from fraction E, was inactive when administered postcoitally to rats and toxic when administered postcoitally to hamsters. (12S)-7,12- Secoishwaran -12-ol (3), previously reported from A. indica and isolated from fraction A, did not interrupt pregnancy when administered to mice on day 6 of pregnancy. Four additional compounds, aristolic acid (4) [prepared from aristolochic acid-I (2)], methyl aristolate (5) [prepared by methylating aristolic acid (4)], and cis- and trans-p-coumaric acid (both oblate commercially), were similarly tested in mice and found to be inactive. Aristolic acid (4), and the cis- and trans-p-coumaric acids also were inactive when administered postcoitally (days 1-10) to rats. Seven compounds reported previously from A. indica were also isolated, as were a new naphthoquinone, aristolindiquinone (6) (fraction E), and magnoflorine (fraction C).