Ecochemical study on the medicinal plant use of primates in the wild

最近，灵长类动物在野外非营养摄入的植物的生理意义被探讨。据报道，其中一些植物被用作药物。对这类药用植物中化学成分的研究可能会引导我们发现新的生物活性天然产物，并更多地了解灵长类动物在野外的取食行为。该项目旨在筛选野生灵长类动物可能使用的药用植物，并寻找其具有生物学和生理意义的成分。1.西田新筛选出3种可能的黑猩猩药用植物，分别为Crotalaria sp.、Ficus thonningii和Pseudospondias microcarpa。他还收集了阿斯皮拉的叶子，因为它的物理效果一直是黑猩猩的药。然而，Ohigashi和Kawanaka发现这些叶子含有有效的抗寄生虫成分，这表明…有必要对黑猩猩使用这种植物进行更多的化学方法。2.对来自马哈勒的3种植物和刚果恩多基的1种植物进行了化学研究。从马哈雷黑猩猩最常用的药用植物杏仁斑茅中分离得到3个新的甾体化合物，分别命名为维尼奥尔E、维尼奥尔G和维诺尼奥尔H。此外，在该植物中特有的非糖苷形式的类固醇(马鞭草酚)被证实具有比相应的糖苷(马鞭草苷)(Ohigashi和Kawanaka)更高的抗寄生活性。然后，马哈雷的黑猩猩利用杏仁弧菌来治疗寄生虫疾病。Hayashi在东方苍耳中发现了家蚕拒食成分。他分离出一种抗染剂，对其化学性质进行了部分表征。Hirota从番泻叶中分离并鉴定了一种新的超氧化物产生抑制剂。Ohigashi在Ndoki发现了一种可能是大猩猩使用的药用植物--黄花蛇中的类黄酮，这表明该植物是大猩猩的一种生理功能食物。3.此外，从印度尼西亚、几内亚和坦桑尼亚(西田、小水、大桥)获得了非营养的植物，目前正在评估它们的营养价值(Fushiki)和生物活性潜力(Koshimizu、川中和大桥)。Koshimizu透露，在这些非营养植物中发现的抗肿瘤促进活性比随机选择的植物中的活性更高。桑科和菊科植物中的一些物种被认为是有效的抗肿瘤促进剂。到目前为止，在这两个科中已经发现了几种灵长类药用植物。这一发现与灵长类富含类黄酮的植物物种的使用一起为我们提供了一种新的想法，即“灵长类功能食物的使用”。较少

Physiological significance of the plants non-nutritiously ingested by primates in the wild has recently been inquired. Some of such plants were reported to be used as medicine. Chemical studies on the constituents occurring in such medicinal plants may lead us to find new bioactive natural products, and to understand more the feeding behavior of primates in the wild. This project has been directed to select possible medicinal plants used by primates in the wild, and to search for their constituents of biological and physiological significance. Socioecological analysis may be possible by such plant constituents.1.Nishida newly selected 3 species, Crotalaria sp., Ficus thonningii and Pseudospondias microcarpa, as possible medicinal plants of Mahale chimpanzee. He also collected the leaves of Aspilla mossambiscensis, which has been a chimpamzee's medicine by its physical effect. While, Ohigashi and Kawanaka found that the leaves contain potent antiparastitic constituents, suggesting that … More chemical approach to the chimpanzee's use of this plant is necessary.2.Chemical studies were carried out in 3 species of plants from Mahale, and 1 species from Ndoki in Congo. From Vernonia amygdalina, the most prominent medicinal plant used by Mahare chimpanzees, 3 new steroids named vernoniol E,G and H were isolated and chemically identified. Furthermore, non-glycoside forms of the steroids characteristically occurring in this plant (vernoniols) were confirmed to possess generally much higher antiparasitic activities than the corresponding glycosides (vernoniosides) (Ohigashi and Kawanaka). Then, it was hupothesized that the chimpanzee at Mahare uses V.amygdalina for parasite diseased. Hayashi found the occurrence of anti-feeding constituent of silkworm in Trema orientalis. He isolated an antiffedant, the chemical property of which was partly characterized. Hirota isolated and identified a new superoxide generation inhibitor from Senna spectabilis. Ohigashi found the occurrence of flavonoids in Thomendersia laurifolia, a possible medicinal plant used by Gorilla at Ndoki, suggesting the plant to be a physiologically functional food of gorilla.3.Further plants non-nutritiously ingested by primates in the wild were obtained from Indonesia, Guinea and Tanzania (Nishida, Koshimizu, Ohigashi), which are now being estimated their nutritinal values (Fushiki) and bioactivity-potentials (Koshimizu, Kawanaka and Ohigashi). Koshimizu has revealed that anti-tumor promoting activity was found in such non-nutrititive plants at a higher rate than in the plants randomly selected. Some of species in the plant families Moraceae and Combretacea are indicated to be promising for potent anti-tumor promoters. Several primate medicinal plants have hitherto been found in these 2 plant families. This finding along with the primate use of flavonoid rich plant species provides us a new idea of "functional food use of primates". Less