Scutiaquinones A and B, perylenequinones from the roots of Scutia myrtina with anthelmintic activity

Haemonchus contortus is a worm that causes serious infections in livestock. Two new perylenequinones, scutiaquinone A (1) and scutiaquinone B (2), have been isolated from a methanol extract of the roots of Scutia myrtina by bioassay-guided fractionation, using an assay that kills this parasite in vitro. The structures of compounds 1 and 2 were elucidated by analysis of their 1D- and 2D-NMR and MS spectra. The isolation, structure, and anthelmintic activities of compounds 1 and 2 are reported.