Antiplasmodial and cytotoxic activity of coumarin derivatives from dried roots of Angelica gigas Nakai in vitro

The butanol-soluble fraction of the dried root of Angelica gigas exhibited significant protection against chloroquine-sensitive strains of Plasmodium falciparum using the parasite lactate dehydrogenase assay method. Using antiplasmodial activity-guided fractionation, five coumarins, marmesinin (1), nodakenin (2), skimmin (3), apiosylskimmin (4), and magnolioside (5), were isolated and evaluated for in vitro antiplasmodial activity, as well as for their cytotoxic potential on SK-OV-3 cancer cell lines. Compounds 1 and 5 showed notable growth inhibitory activity against chloroquine-sensitive strains of P. falciparum with IC50 values of 5.3 and 8.2 mu M. The compounds showed no significant cytotoxicity (IC50 > 100 mu M) toward the SK-OV-3 cancer cell line. This is the first report on the antiplasmodial activity of these coumarin derivatives from the dried root of A. gigas.