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

野生灵长类动物摄取的无营养植物的生理意义最近受到了质疑。据报道，其中一些植物被用作药物。对这些药用植物中的化学成分进行研究，可能有助于我们发现新的具有生物活性的天然产物，并进一步了解野生灵长类动物的摄食行为。该项目旨在选择野生灵长类动物可能使用的药用植物，并寻找其具有生物和生理意义的成分。1.西田新选3个种，猪屎豆属Crotalaria sp.，榕（Ficus thonningii）和小果海枣（Pseudospondias microcarpa）可能是马哈尔黑猩猩的药用植物。他还收集了Aspilla mossambiscensis的叶子，这是黑猩猩的药物，因为它的物理效果。而Ohigashi和Kawanaka发现叶子含有有效的抗寄生虫成分，这表明， 关于我们 2.对来自Mahale的3种植物和来自刚果Ndoki的1种植物进行了化学研究。从马哈尔黑猩猩最常用的药用植物扁桃斑鸠菊（Vernonia amygdalina）中分离得到3种新的甾体化合物，分别命名为斑鸠菊E、G和H。此外，证实了在这种植物中特征性存在的类固醇的非糖苷形式（斑鸠菊醇）通常比相应的糖苷（斑鸠菊糖苷）具有高得多的抗寄生虫活性（Ohigashi和Kawanaka）。然后，有人猜测Mahare的黑猩猩使用V.amygdalina来治疗寄生虫病。Hayashi在山黄麻中发现了家蚕的拒食成分。他分离出一种止痛剂，并部分地描述了它的化学性质。Hirota从番泻叶中分离并鉴定了一种新的超氧化物生成抑制剂。Ohigashi等人在Ndoki的大猩猩可能使用的药用植物Thomendersia laurifolia中发现了黄酮类化合物，表明该植物是大猩猩的生理功能食物（西田、小清水、大东），目前正在评估它们的营养价值（伏木）和生物活性潜力（小清水、川中和大东）。Koshimizu揭示了在这些非营养植物中发现的抗肿瘤促进活性的比率高于随机选择的植物。桑科和使君子科植物中的一些物种被认为是有希望的有效的抗肿瘤促进剂。迄今为止，在这两个植物科中发现了几种灵长类药用植物。这一发现沿着灵长类动物对富含黄酮类化合物的植物的利用，为我们提供了“灵长类动物功能性食物利用”的新思路。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