CONICET | Buscador de Institutos y Recursos Humanos

Studies undertaken on isolated photosensitizing agents from heterophillaea pustulata, a phototoxic plant, which natural habitat is the North-western part of Argentina, are presented here. The carried out work, involved several steps that were inititated with the chemical-structural study of their most important secondary metabollites. As a result, three flavonoids, one iridoid glycoside (asperuloside) and ten aglycone anthraquinones were identified. Through the study of the photophysical, photochemical and photbilogical properties of the anthraquinone derivatives, we concluded that they show good photosensitizing (type I and type II) characteristics. The performed toxicological assays in vivoshowed a direct cause-effect relation between these metabollitaes and the reported phototoxicity for H. Pustullata. Finally, afew words about the potential applications of these photosensitizing cpmpounds as antibacterial agents will be given.