HPLC/MS analysis of polyphenols, antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of Artabotrys hildebrandtii O. Hffm. extracts.

The purpose of this work was to evaluate chemical constituents, antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of Artabotrys hildebrandtii, an endemic medicinal plant from Madagascar. Ethanol extracts from the leaves and stem bark were tested to evaluate DPPH free radical scavenging, using butylated hydroxytoluene and quercetin as standard antioxidants. An high-performance liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry method was developed to investigate the presence of phenolic compounds in the studied samples; gentisic acid, chlorogenic acid, hyperoside, isoquercitrin, rutin, quercitrin, quercetol, apigenin and luteolin were identified. Total polyphenolic content was determined by a spectrophotometric method using Folin-Ciocâlteu reagent. Results showed the efficiency of A. hildebrandtii leaves extract against strains of Staphylococcus aureus and Listeria monocytogenes, as the inhibitory activity is more powerful compared to Gentamicin, used as the standard drug. The leaves of A. hildebrandtii can be considered an important source of polyphenols, especially of rutin, with good antioxidant and antimicrobial activities.

Isolation and structural elucidation of cytotoxic compounds from the root bark of Diospyros quercina (Baill.) endemic to Madagascar

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To isolate and characterize the cytotoxic compounds from Diospyros quercina (Baill.) G.E. Schatz & Lowry (Ebenaceae).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>An ethno-botanical survey was conducted in the south of Madagascar from July to August 2010. Bio-guided fractionation assay was carried out on the root bark of Diospyros quercina, using cytotoxicity bioassay on murine P388 leukemia cell lines as model. The structures of the cytotoxic compounds were elucidated by 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Biological experiments resulted in the isolation of three bioactive pure compounds (named TR-21, TR-22, and TR-23) which exhibited very good in vitro cytotoxic activities with the IC50 values of (0.017 5±0.0060) µg/mL, (0.089±0.005) µg/mL and (1.027±0.070) µg/mL respectively. Thus, they support the claims of traditional healers and suggest the possible correlation between the chemical composition of this plant and its wide use in Malagasy folk medicine to treat cancer.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>The ability of isolated compounds in this study to inhibit cell growth may represent a rational explanation for the use of Diospyros quercina root bark in treating cancer by Malagasy traditional healers. Further studies are, therefore, necessary to evaluate the in vivo anti-neoplastic activity of these cytotoxic compounds as effective anticancer drugs.</p>

Pyranocoumarin and triterpene from Millettia richardiana.

From the stem bark of a Madagascan endemic plant, Millettia richardiana Baill., lonchocarpenin and betulinic acid were isolated and their structures established by spectroscopic methods. The analysis of dichloromethane fractions suggested the presence of beta-amyrin, lupeol, palmitic acid, linoleic acid and stearic acid. Except for beta-amyrin and lupeol, these compounds are described for the first time for the Millettia genus.

Antispasmodic and antioxidant activities of fractions and bioactive constituent davidigenin isolated from Mascarenhasia arborescens.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Mascarenhasia arborescens A. DC. (Apocynaceae) is used in traditional medicine in the North of Madagascar to treat intestinal disorders, intestinal spasms and diarrhoea. AIM OF THE STUDY: The main objective of this work was to evaluate the antispasmodic activity of the crude methanolic extract of Mascarenhasia arborescens and of its four partitions and to identify the effective compound responsible for this effect. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Isolation and structure elucidation techniques were performed in order to identify the bioactive constituent of Mascarenhasia arborescens and HPLC analysis was used for its quantification. Total phenolic content (TPC) of crude extracts and partitions were determined using the Folin-Ciocalteu method. Crude methanolic extract, partitions and the bioactive compound were investigated for their spasmolytic activity on several isolated organs. Their antiradical activity was also investigated by the DPPH test. RESULTS: Bioassay-guided fractionation using isolated guinea pig ileum pre-contracted with histamine 3x10(-6) M led to the isolation of davidigenin (DG), a dihydrochalcone, as the main active constituent from the most promising methylene chloride partition (McP). This partition was effective on isolated guinea pig ileum pre-contracted with 3x10(-6) M histamine, with a median effective concentration (EC(50)) of 41.19+/-3.74 microg/ml. The DG content of this partition was shown to be 26.5% by HPLC. DG induced a concentration-dependent relaxation of the histamine pre-contracted guinea pig ileum with an EC(50) of 8.04+/-0.81 microg/ml and a concentration-dependent relaxation of the acetylcholine pre-contracted rat duodenum with an EC(50) of 9.35+/-0.30 microg/ml. It inhibited in a non-competitive manner histamine-induced isolated ileum contraction and the acetylcholine-induced isolated duodenum contraction. Moreover, DG does not have any antiradical activity. CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrated for the first time antispasmodic and antioxidant effects of Mascarenhasia arborescens. This study supports its use in traditional medicine. Furthermore, we highlighted the crucial role of davidigenin in the antispasmodic activity of this plant.

Flavonoid glycosides and other constituents of Psorospermum androsaemifolium BAKER (Clusiaceae).

Two new flavonoid glycosides, namely 3'-(2'',4''-dihydroxybenzyloxy)acanthophorin B (1b) and beta,2,3',4,4',6-hexahydroxy-alpha-(alpha-L-rhamnopyranosyl)dihydrochalcone (2) were isolated from the leaves of Psorospermum androsaemifolium together with quercetin (1), acanthophorin B (1a), alpha- (3) and beta-amyrine (3a), vismiaquinone (4), 12-hentriacontanol and hentriacontane. The structures of these secondary metabolites were established using detailed spectroscopic analysis and by comparison with published data. Compounds 1, 1a, 1b, 2, 3, 3a and 4 showed weak antifungal and antibacterial activities.