One new constituent from the stem bark of Chrysophyllum lacourtianum De Wild. (sapotaceae).

The phytochemical investigation of the methanol extract of the stem bark of Chrysophyllum lacourtianum led to the isolation and characterization of one new secondary metabolite, lacourtianal (1), together with eight known compounds. Compounds 2; 3; 5; 6; 7 and 9 were reported for the first time from Chrysophyllum genus. The structures of compounds 1-9 were elucidated on the basis of 1 D and 2 D NMR spectroscopic and mass spectrometric data as well as comparison with the literature. The antibacterial activity of the methanol extract, fractions and compounds 1-9 were evaluated against bacterial strains. The methanol extract exhibited moderate activity against Staphylococcus aureus NR4674 with MIC values of 500 µg/mL. The n-hexane fraction showed moderate activity against Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 43300 and ATCC 25923) with MIC values of 125 µg/mL and ursolic acid (5) exhibited strong activity against Enterobacter aerogenes CPC and Escherichia coli ATCC 25322 with MIC values of 7.8 and 3.9 µg/mL respectively.

Bioactive Arylnaphthalide Lignans from Justicia depauperata.

Eleven previously undescribed arylnaphthalide lignans (1-11) together with seven known compounds were isolated from the whole plant of Justicia depauperata. The structures of 1-11 were elucidated by spectroscopic analysis and mass spectrometry. Compounds 6 (IC50 = 4.1 µM) and 9 (IC50 = 9.5 µM) displayed cytotoxic activity against the KB-3-1 cervical carcinoma cell line. This report provides an insight into the conformational equilibria occurring in the arylnaphthalide lignan constituents of this plant.

Dewerin and gilbertionol two new secondary metabolites from the stem bark of Gilbertiodendron dewevrei (De Wild) J. Leonard.

The phytochemical investigation of the methanol extract of the stem bark of Gilbertiodendron dewevrei led to the isolation of two new secondary metabolites, 5,7-dihydroxy-4'-methoxyisoflavan-2,4-dione (1) and 23-hydroxy-2-tricosanone (2) along with 19 known compounds (3-21). The structure of these compounds were established by interpretation of their spectral data, mainly HR-TOFESIMS, 1 D NMR (1H, 13C and DEPT) and 2 D NMR (1H-1H COSY, HSQC, HMBC, and NOESY), and by comparison with those reported in the literature. The methanol extract and some isolates were screened for their antiradical, antibacterial, and inhibitory properties against acetylcholinesterase.

Bioguided chemical study of Boswellia dalzielii Hutch. (Burseraceae) for antibacterial agents and a new glucopyranoxylmethoxybenzyle.

Stem barks of Boswellia dalzielii are used traditionally for the treatment of various bacterial infections. A bioassay guided fractionation of the MeOH-CH2Cl2 (1/1, v/v) stem barks extract led to the isolation of fourteen compounds 1-14, identified based on spectroscopic data. Dalzienoside (1) is reported here for the first time. The broth microdilution method was used to evaluate the antibacterial activity of the crude extract, fractions and compounds against six bacterial strains. The crude extract exhibited moderate antibacterial activity with MIC of 250 µL/ml; two fractions showed significant activities with MICs ranging from 7.8 to 125 µg/ml, while α-boswellic acid (2), ß-boswellic acid (3), acetyl-11-keto-ß-boswellic acid (4) from these fractions exhibited strong activities with MIC value of 3.125 µg/mL against Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella typhi, Enterobacter cloacae, Streptococcus pneumonia and Pseudomonia aeruginosa. This study gives insight into the antibacterial constituents of the stem bark of B. dalzielii and justifies its use in ethnomedicine.

Anti-mycobacterial activity of polyketides from Penicillium sp. endophyte isolated from Garcinia nobilis against Mycobacteriumsmegmatis.

OBJECTIVE/BACKGROUND: According to estimates by the World Health Organization, there were 9.6 million new tuberculosis (TB) cases in 2014: 5.4 million among men, 3.2 million among women, and 1.0 million among children. There were also 1.5 million TB deaths. Although there are potent anti-TB molecules, the misuse of these drugs in addition to inconsistent or partial treatment have led to the development of multidrug-resistant TB and extensively drug-resistant TB. It is established that plants harbor microorganisms, collectively known as endophytes, which also produce metabolites. Exploring the as-yet untapped natural products from the endophytes increases the chances of finding novel and active compounds. The present study was aimed to investigate the antimycobacterial activity of the crude extract and compounds isolated from Penicillium sp. endophyte associated with Garcinia nobilis against Mycobacterium smegmatis. METHODS: Liquid culture obtained from the fermentation of Penicillium sp. was extracted using ethylacetate and the liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry monitored fractionation of crude extracts yielded six compounds. Their structures were elucidated with spectroscopic analyses including two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance, high resolution mass spectrometry by dereplication using Antibase, and by comparison to literature data. All compounds and the crude extract from the liquid medium were evaluated for their antimycobacterial activity against M. smegmatis. RESULTS: In this study, the activity of penialidins A-C (1-3), citromycetin (4), p-hydroxy phenyl glyoxalaldoxime (5), and Brefeldin A (6) were tested against nonpathogenic M. smegmatis. Penialidin C was the most active compound with a minimum inhibitory concentration of 15.6µg/mL. CONCLUSION: Isolated compounds from Penicillium sp. harbored in G. nobilis exhibited promising antimycobacterial activity against M. smegmatis thus supporting the immensity of the potential of antimycobacterial drug discovery from endophytes from medicinal plants. Penialidin C could further be investigated for antimycobacterial drug development.

In vitro antimycobacterial activity of six Cameroonian medicinal plants using microplate alamarBlue assay.

OBJECTIVE/BACKGROUND: The latest incidence of tuberculosis (TB) (per 100,000 people) in Cameroon was 243.00 as of 2011. Over the past 21 years, the value for this indicator has fluctuated between 112.00 in 1990 and 320.00 in 2003. Worldwide, this incidence has also increased, bringing back TB as a reemerging disease. On the same note, resistance to anti-TB drugs has increased, urging the search for new molecules. METHODS: This study was carried out to evaluate the antimycobacterial activity of six medicinal plants on the virulent strain, H37Rv, using the microplate alamarBlue assay. Mycobacterium tuberculosis (H37Rv strain) was incubated with decreased concentrations of six plant extracts, ranging from 250 µg/mL to 31.25 µg/mL. After 7 days of incubation at 37 °C, the effects of these plant extracts on the viability of the mycobacteria were evaluated. For each plant extract, the minimal inhibitory concentration was determined. RESULTS: The results showed that the compounds MBC1, MBC24, MBC68, MBC81, MBC117, and MBC118 were the best candidates with minimal inhibitory concentrations of 31.25, 62.5, 125, 62.5, and 125 µg/mL, respectively. CONCLUSION: These results confirm and validate the traditional use of these plants to treat respiratory diseases, which could be good sources and alternatives of plant metabolites for anti-TB-drug development.