Antioxidant, antibacterial activities and general toxicity of Alnus glutinosa, fraxinus excelsior and papaver rhoeas

Alnus glutinosa, Fraxinus excelsior and Papaver rhoeas have long been used in folkloric medicine for the treatment of various ailments. As part of our continuing screening of plant extracts for activities, the extracts of A. glutinosa, F. excelsior and P. rhoeas have been screened for their antioxidant and antibacterial activities, as well as their general toxicity towards brine shrimps. Among the extracts, the methanol [MeOH] extract of F. excelsior displayed the highest level of antioxidant activity [RC[50]=1.35x10[-2] mg/mL] and the dichloromethane [DCM] extract of P. rhoeas was the most toxic extract towards brine shrimps [LD[50]=2.4x10[-2] mg/mL]. The n-hexane and DCM extracts of F. excelsior and the MeOH extract of A. glutinosa were active [MIC values were within 1.25x10[-1] and 1.00 mg/mL] against all 8 bacterial species tested, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus [MRSA]

Two bioactive ferulic acid derivatives from eremostachys glabra

Two ferulic acid derivatives, hexacosyl-[E]-ferulate [1] and leucosceptoside A [2], have been isolated from the rhizomes of Eremostachys glabra. The chemical structures of these compounds have been elucidated by UV, ESIMS, 1H NMR and 13C NMR spectroscopic analyses, and also by comparing experimental data with respective literature data. The free radical scavenging activity and general toxicity of these compounds have been assessed. While none of these compounds has shown any significant general toxicity in the brine shrimp lethality assay [LD50>1 mg/mL], compounds 1 and 2 displayed significant antioxidant activity in the DPPH assay [RC50 = 0.0976 mg/mL and 0.0148 mg/mL, respectively]