Anthelmintic constituents of ferns

Abstract

Extracts, oils and some individual phloroglucinol compounds prepared from the fern Dryopteris dilatata and Dryopteris filix-mas were tested for taeniacidal activity against the dwarf tapeworm Hymenolepis nana. In D. dilatata activity is concentrated in the phloroglucinol compounds (mainly aspidin, phloropyrone and aspidinol) of which aspidin is the most potent. In D. filix-mas the mixed phloroglucinol compounds (mainly flavaspidic acid and aspidinol) are active, but no more so than the total ether extract. Flavaspidic acid seems to be the most active phloroglucinol constituent of the fern. Desaspidin which occurs in a third fern, Dryopteris austriaca, is more potent than either aspidin or flavaspidic acid. A method of detecting phloroglucinol compounds by thin-layer chromatography is described.