Plants medicinally used by chimpnazees in the wild, and their biologically active constituents

最近，人们对黑猩猩非营养植物性食物的生理意义进行了探讨。黑猩猩的药用用途现在被认为是这些植物中的一部分。本研究旨在筛选可能的黑猩猩药用植物，并寻找其具有生理和生物学意义的成分。然后，一些黑猩猩的社会生态可能会被相关的植物化学物质分析。到目前为止，西田已经从坦桑尼亚的马哈勒山国家公园挑选了14种可能的黑猩猩药用植物。对这些植物的几种生物学和生理活性进行了测定。8种植物有抗寄生活性，3种有细胞毒性，4种对胰酶和芳香酶有抑制作用。必须特别强调具有抗寄生活性的植物的高发率。有趣的是，刚果大猩猩可能使用的药用植物--月桂，显示出显著的抗血吸虫活性。这些事实可能进一步支持我们的假说“药用植物--灵长类动物在野外使用来治疗寄生虫病”。从具有生物活性或生理活性的植物中分离得到3个新化合物，其中3个为新化合物，其抗血吸虫活性高于相应的苷类化合物。从刺参中分离得到具有细胞毒性的黄酮苷。昆虫拒食剂和抗炎药也被分离出来，它们的化学结构现在正在被阐明。此外，酶抑制剂的化学研究目前正在进行中。

Recently, physiological significance of the chimpanzee's non-nutritious plant diets has been inquired. Medicinal use by chimpanzees in now suggested in some of these plants. This study has been directed to select possible chimpanzee medicinal plants, and to search for their constituents of physiological and biological significance. Some of the social ecology of chimpanzee may, then, beanalyzed by the phytoichemicals concerned. Nishida has thus far selected 14 species of possible chimpanzee medicinal plants from the Mahale Mountain National Park, Tanzania. Several biological and physiological activities of these plants were tested. Antiparasitic acitivities were found in 8 species of plants including Erythrina abyssinica, Combretum molle, Trema orientalis and Aspilia mossambicensis, cyte toxicities were detected in 3 species (C.molle, Lannea schimperi and A.mossambicensis), enzyme inhibition activities against trypsin or aromatase were in 4 species. High occurrence of plants with antiparasitic acivity must be particularly emphasized. Interestingly, Thomadersia laurifolia, a possible medicinal plant used by gorilla in Congo, showed remarkable antischistosomal activity. These facts may further support our hypothesis of "Medicinal Plant-use by Primates in the Wild for Parasite Disease". From the biologically or physiologically active plants, 3 steroids were newly found in Vernonia amygdalina, and its antischistosomal activity was shown to be higher than those of the related glucosides. Cytotoxic flavonoid glycosides were isolated from L.schimperi. Insect antifeedants and antiinflammatory agents were also isolated, and their chemical structures are now being elucidated. Also chemical investigation of enzyme inhibitors was now in progress.