Records of Natural Products

Antifeedant Activities of the Erythrinaline Alkaloids from Erythrina latissima against Spodoptera littoralis (Lepidoptera noctuidae)

Wanjala W. Cornelius, Teresa Akeng’a , George O Obiero and Kweyu P. Lutta  

Department of Chemistry, Kigali Institute of Science and Technology, P.O Box 3900 , Kigali , RWANDA

School of Chemical and Minerals Engineering, North West University , P.O Box 558 , Potchefstroom 2520, South Africa

Institute of Tropical Medicine and Infectious Diseases, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, P.O Box 62000-00200 , Nairobi , KENYA .

 Abstract: The antifeedant activities of the Erythrina alkaloids from the seeds, seed pods and flowers of Erythrina latissima were investigated in laboratory dual- choice bioassays using third-instar Spodoptera littoralis (Boisduval) larvae. The new compound (+)-11β-methoxy-10-oxoerysotramidine (1) from the flowers, showed potent dose dependant activity at concentration >=500 pm while (+)-10,11-dioxoerysotramidine (2) also new from the flowers showed potent dose dependant activity at concentration >= 100 ppm. Three known compounds (+)-erysotrine, (+)-erysotramidine, (+)-erythraline, (+)-11β-hydroxyerysotramidine showed potent dose dependant antifeedant activity at concentrations >= 100 ppm while (+)-10,11-dioxoerysotrine and (+)-11 b-hydroxyerysotramidine also a known compounds showed potent dose dependant antifeedant activity at concentrations >= 100 ppm. Three known compounds (+)-11β-methoxyerysotramidine, (+)-8-oxoerythraline and (+)-15(16) b -D-glucoerysodine showed no appreciable change in antifeedant activity with concentration change.

Keywords: P Erythrina alkaloids; Erythrina latissima; antifeedant activity; Spodoptera littoralis.