Anti-trypanosomal Lignans Isolated from Salvadoran Peperomia pseudopereskiifolia

A search for anti-trypanosomal natural compounds from plants collected in El Salvador, a country particularly endemic for Chagas disease, resulted in the isolation of five lignan-type compounds (1–5) from Peperomia pseudopereskiifolia. The lignan derivatives 1, 2, and 4 are new. Their absolute configuration was determined by chemical derivatization. Compounds 1, 5, 6, and 8 exhibited anti-trypanosomal activity against the amastigote form of T. cruzi comparable to that of the existing drug benznidazole.