Prenylated Benzophenones from Vismia guianensis Reduced Nematode Growth and Chemotaxis

Biopesticides are generally considered a safer and more environmentally friendly alternative to conventional pesticides. Plant metabolites display a range of pest specific activity ranging from antimicrobial to larvicidal and nematocidal. We herein describe the evaluation of a Guyanese collection of (Clusiaceae) for anthelmintic activity. The bioassay-guided evaluation of the hexane extract yielded the new prenylated benzophenone 8,9-epoxyvismiaphenone F ( ). The final structures were elucidated based on spectral analysis and comparison to the known metabolite. To evaluate the anthelmintic efficacy of these compounds, were exposed to the compounds via a ring assay model. Post-exposure, the numbers of live in the compound (middle), bacteria ring were recorded for 3 d, as well as the total number of live worms for each plate. Compound reduced ’ overall growth and reproduction, suggesting that these prenylated benzophenones may hold some promise as natural pesticides.