Paula Viñas
José de Felippe Junior

Screening of some plants used in the Brazilian folk medicine for the treatment of infectious diseases.

Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz;97(7):1027-31, 2002 Oct. Holetz FB; Pessini GL; Sanches NR; Cortez DA; Nakamura CV; Filho BP

Programa de Pós-graduação em Ciências Farmacêuticas, Universidade Estadual de Maringá, Maringá, PR, Brasil

País de publicação: Brazil

Resumo: Extracts of 13 Brazilian medicinal plants were screened for their antimicrobial activity against bacteria and yeasts. Of these, 10 plant extracts showed varied levels of antibacterial activity. Piper regnellii presented a good activity against Staphylococus aureus and Bacillus subtilis, a moderate activity on Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and a weak activity against Escherichia coli. Punica granatum showed good activity on S. aureus and was inactive against the other standard strains. Eugenia uniflora presented moderate activity on both S. aureus and E. coli. Psidium guajava,Tanacetum vulgare, Arctium lappa, Mikania glomerata, Sambucus canadensis, Plantago major and Erythrina speciosa presented some degree of antibacterial activity. Spilanthes acmella, Lippia alba, and Achillea millefolium were considered inactive. Five of the plant extracts presented compounds with Rf values similar to the antibacterial compounds visible on bioautogram. Of these, three plants belong to the Asteraceae family. This may mean that the same compounds are responsible for the antibacterial activity in these plants. Anticandidal activity was detected in nine plant extracts (P. guajava, E. uniflora, P. granatum, A. lappa, T. vulgare, M. glomerata, L. alba, P. regnellii, and P. major). The results might explain the ethnobotanical use of the studied species for the treatment of various infectious diseases.

abacate

Antifungal compounds from idioblast cells isolated from avocado fruits.
Phytochemistry. 2000 May;54(2):183-9.
Domergue F, Helms GL, Prusky D, Browse J.
Institute of Biological Chemistry, Washington State University, Pullman 99164, USA.

(E,Z,Z)-1-Acetoxy-2-hydroxy-4-oxo-heneicosa-5,12,15-triene was isolated from avocado, Persea americana Mill., idioblast cells. It inhibited spore germination of the fungal pathogen Colletotrichum gloeosporioides. Full characterization is also reported for two additional compounds that have been described and partially characterized previously.

abacaxi

Synthesis and antifungal activity of cinnamic acid esters.
Biosci Biotechnol Biochem. 1996 May;60(5):909-10.
Tawata S, Taira S, Kobamoto N, Zhu J, Ishihara M, Toyama S.
Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, College of Agriculture, University of the Ryukyus, Okinawa, Japan.

Cinnamic, p-coumaric and ferulic acids were isolated from pineapple stems (Ananas comosus var. Cayenne). Twenty-four kinds of esters were prepared from these acids, alcohols and the components of Alpinia. Isopropyl 4-hydroxycinnamate (11) and butyl 4-hydroxycinnamate (12) were found to have almost the same effectiveness in antifungal activity against Pythium sp. at 10 ppm as that of the commercial fungicide iprobenfos (kitazin P).

Acerola

Plants used in Guatemala for the treatment of dermatophytic infections. 2. Evaluation of antifungal activity of seven American plants.
J Ethnopharmacol. 1993 Dec;40(3):207-13.
Caceres A, Lopez B, Juarez X, del Aguila J, Garcia S.
Facultad de Ciencias Quimicas y Farmacia, Universidad de San Carlos (USAC), Ciudad Universitaria, Guatemala.

From 52 plants screened for antifungal activity, 26 (50%) were active against dermatophytes. This paper reports further evaluation of seven American plants against four pathogenic fungi (Aspergillus flavus, Epidermophyton floccosum, Microsporum gypseum and Trichophyton rubrum), the part showing most activity, the best solvent and, in three cases, the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) against the fungus in pure culture. Antifungal activity was confirmed in all of the plants, but not all parts; the most active parts were the bark and leaves. The most active species were Byrsonima crassifolia, Cassia grandis, Gliricidia sepium and Malpighia glabra. Diphysa robinioides, Rhizophora mangle and Cassia occidentalis were less active. The most susceptible fungi were E. floccosum and T. rubrum; A. flavus was not susceptible. Ethanol was usually the best solvent and the MIC of C. grandis, C. occidentalis and D. robinioides was 50 micrograms/ml.

Miscelânea

Antimicrobial activities of some selected traditional Ethiopian medicinal plants used in the treatment of skin disorders.

J Ethnopharmacol;100(1-2):168-75, 2005 Aug 22. Tadeg H; Mohammed E; Asres K; Gebre-Mariam

Department of Pharamceutics, School of Pharmacy, Addis Ababa University, P.O. Box 1176, Ethiopia.

Resumo: Hydroalcoholic extracts of eight species of medicinal plants, namely, Acokanthera schimperi (Apocynaceae), Calpurnia aurea (Leguminosae), Kalanchoe petitiana (Crassulaceae), Lippia adoensis (Verbenaceae), Malva parviflora (Malvaceae), Olinia rochetiana (Oliniaceae), Phytolacca dodecandra (Phytolaccaceae) and Verbascum sinaiticum (Scrophulariaceae), traditionally used in the treatment of various skin disorders were screened for antimicrobial activity against different strains of bacteria and fungi which are known to cause different types of skin infections. The tests were carried out using agar well diffusion method at three concentration levels (100, 50 and 25mg/ml) of the crude extracts. The MICs of the crude extracts of Lippia adoensis and Olinia rochetiana were determined by agar dilution method. Furthermore, the powdered leaves of Lippia adoensis and Olinia rochetiana were fractionated into different solvents of wide ranging polarity and the resulting fractions were screened for antimicrobial activity against the same organisms. Of all the plants tested, Lippia adoensis and Olinia rochetiana were found to be the most active species against bacterial and fungal strains, respectively. In addition, almost all species of plants were found to have activity on at least one microbial strain. The antimicrobial activity profile also showed that Staphylococcus aureus and Trichophyton mentagrophytes were the most susceptible bacterial and fungal strains, respectively. The results indicate the potential of these herbal drugs in treating microbial infections of the skin, thus, justifying their claimed uses in the treatment of various skin disorders, the majority of which are of infectious origin.

Antifungal medical plants in a complex treatment of generalized parodontosis complicated with candidosis

Lik Sprava;(3):16-20, 2005 Apr-May. Politun AM; Pavliuk TD

País de publicação: Ukraine

Resumo: There is a wide spectrum of Antifungoid medical plants. An Antifungoid effect is as usual combined with an antibacterial and anti-inflammatory one. It enables to use such medications in a comlex treatment of generalized parodontosis complicated with candidosis. Besides, plant medications have not virtually any adverse effect and produce no allergenic reactions.

Antimicrobial activity of some medicinal plants of the island Soqotra.

[J Ethnopharmacol;96(1-2):177-81, 2005 Jan 4. Mothana RA; Lindequist U

Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Sana'a-University, PO Box 33039, Sana'a, Yemen.

Resumo: Twenty-five selected plants belonging to 19 families were collected from different localities of the island Soqotra, dried and extracted with the solvents chloroform, methanol and hot water to yield 80 extracts. The extracts were tested for their antimicrobial activity against several Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria and against one yeast species using agar diffusion method. Antibacterial activity was demonstrated especially against Gram-positive bacteria including multiresistant Staphylococcus strains. The greatest activity was exhibited by the methanolic extracts of Boswellia elongata, Boswellia ameero, Buxus hildebrandtii, Commiphora parvifolia, Jatropha unicostata, Kalanchoe farinacea, Pulicaria stephanocarpa, Punica protopunica, Withania adunensis and Withania riebeckii. Only the methanolic extract of Buxus hildebrandtii displayed significant antifungal activity.

Screening of antifungal agents using ethanol precipitation and bioautography of medicinal and food plants.

Núcleo de Pesquisas de Produtos Naturais, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Bloco H, Ilha do Fundão, Rio de Janeiro, RJ 21941-590, Brazil.

J Ethnopharmacol;96(3):563-8, 2005 Jan 15. Schmourlo G; Mendonça-Filho RR; Alviano CS; Costa SS

Resumo: In the search for bioactive compounds, bioautography and ethanol precipitation of macromolecules (proteins, polysaccharides, etc.) of plant aqueous extracts were associated in an antifungal screening. Thus, the supernatants, precipitates (obtained by ethanol precipitation) and aqueous extracts were investigated of medicinal and fruit bearing plants used against skin diseases by the Brazilian population. The agar diffusion and broth dilution methods were used to assess the activity against three fungi: Candida albicans, Trichophyton rubrum and Cryptococcus neoformans. The results, evaluated by the diameter of the inhibition zone of fungal growth, indicate that six plant species, among the 16 investigated, showed significant antifungal activity. The minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) was determined on plant extracts that showed high efficacy against the tested microorganisms. The most susceptible yeast was Trichophyton rubrum and the best antifungal activity was shown by Xanthosoma sagittifolium supernatant. The bioautography was performed only for the aqueous extracts and supernatants of those plants that showed antifungal activity against Candida albicans and Cryptococcus neoformans, using n-butanol/acetic acid/water (BAW) 8:1:1 to develop silica gel TLC plates. Clear inhibition zones were observed for aqueous extracts of Schinus molle (R(f) 0.89) and Schinus terebinthifolius (R(f) 0.80) against Candida albicans, as for supernatant of Anacardium occidentale (R(f) 0.31) against Cryptococcus neoformans. The separation of macromolecules from metabolites, as in the case of Anacardium occidentale, Solanum sp. and Xanthosoma sagittifolium, enhances antifungal activity. In other cases, the antifungal activity is destroyed, as observed for Momordica charantia, Schinus molle and Schinus terebinthifolius.

Anti-fungal and anti-bacterial activity of some herbal remedies from Tanzania.

J Ethnopharmacol;96(3):461-9, 2005 Jan 15. de Boer HJ; Kool A; Broberg A; Mziray WR; Hedberg I; Levenfors JJ

Department of Systematic Botany, Evolutionary Biology Centre, Uppsala University, Norbyvägen 18 D, SE-75236 Uppsala, Sweden. hugo@.deboer@ebc.uu.se

Resumo: Plants are not only important to the millions of people to whom traditional medicine serves as the only opportunity for health care and to those who use plants for various purposes in their daily lives, but also as a source of new pharmaceuticals. During interviews with the Pare people from Northeastern Tanzania, 29 plants that are used for medicinal purposes as well as 41 plants used for non-medicinal purposes were reported. Six medicinally used plants were selected for bioactivity analysis. Extracts of Coccinia adoensis, Cineraria grandiflora, Pavonia urens, Marattia fraxinea, Clutia abyssinica var. usambarica, and Vangueria infausta were made using ethyl acetate, methanol, cold water and boiling water. The antimicrobial activity was tested on Candida albicans, Aspergillus fumigatus, Fusarium culmorum, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas syringae, and Erwinia amylovora. All plants showed activity against several test organisms.

In vitro antimycotic activity of some plant extracts towards yeast and yeast-like strains.

Phytother Res;19(1):44-9, 2005 Jan. Turchetti B; Pinelli P; Buzzini P; Romani A; Heimler D; Franconi F; Martini A

Dipartimento di Biologia Vegetale e Biotecnologie Agroambientali, Sezione di Microbiologia Applicata, University of Perugia, Borgo XX Giugno, I-06100 Perugia, Italy

Resumo: As part of screening aimed at the selection of novel antimycotic compounds of vegetable origin, leaf extracts of Camellia sinensis L., Cupressus sempervirens L. and Pistacia lentiscus L. and the seed extract of Glycine soja Sieb. et Zucc. were tested against yeast and yeast-like species implicated in human mycoses. Of the extracts only those of C. sinensis (obtained from a commercial preparation of green tea) exhibited broad activity towards Candida glabrata, Clavispora lusitatiae, Cryptococcus laurentii, Filobasidiella neoformans, Issatchenkia orientalis, Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Prototheca wickerhamii strains. MICs ranging from 300 to 4800 microg extract/mL (corresponding to 130-2010 microg/mL total polyphenols) were observed. Concentrations of the C. sinensis extract over 25 000 microg/mL caused a rapid decrease of viable cells of Fil. neoformans and its activity was dose-dependent. Tests carried out using the pure polyphenols present in C. sinensis extract composition, showed that only epicatechin-3-O-gallate (ECG) and epigallocatechin-3-O-gallate (EGCG) possess antimycotic activity.

Antifungal activities of five Combretaceae used in Togolese traditional medicine.

Fitoterapia;76(2):264-8, 2005 Mar. Batawila K; Kokou K; Koumaglo K; Gbéassor M; de Foucault B; Bouchet P; Akpagana K

Laboratory of Botany and Plant Ecology, Research and Education Centre for Medicinal Plants, University of Lomé, P.O. Box 1515, Lomé, Togo. batawilakomlan@yahoo.com

Five species of Combretaceae growing in Togo were investigated for their antifungal activity against 20 pathogenic fungi (10 yeast and 10 filamentous fungi). The five hydroethanolic extracts of Terminalia glaucescens and Anogeissus leiocarpus appeared to be the most active, their MICs ranging from 0.25 mg/ml to 4 mg/ml. The results confirm the traditional therapeutic properties of these plants.

Antifungal activity of Rubia tinctorum, Rhamnus frangula and Caloplaca cerina.

Fitoterapia;76(2):244-6, 2005 Mar. Manojlovic NT; Solujic S; Sukdolak S; Milosev M

Resumo: The results of a preliminary antifungal screening of the methanol extracts and the major anthraquinone aglycones, alizarin and emodin, of Rubia tinctorum and Rhamnus frangula in comparison with the antifungal activity of the anthraquinone-containing lichen Caloplaca cerina and its main secondary metabolite parietin are reported.

Herbal medicines for treatment of fungal infections: a systematic review of controlled clinical trials.

Mycoses;47(3-4):87-92, 2004 Apr. Martin KW; Ernst E

Complementary Medicine, Peninsula Medical School, Universities of Exeter and Plymouth, Exeter, UK.

Resumo: Traditional medicine has made use of many different plant extracts for treatment of fungal infections and some of these have been tested for in vitro antifungal activity. This systematic review evaluates antifungal herbal preparations that have been tested in controlled clinical trials. Four electronic databases were searched for controlled clinical trials of antifungal herbal medicines. Data were extracted in a standardized manner by two independent reviewers and are reviewed narratively. Seven clinical trials met our inclusion criteria. Tea tree oil preparations were tested in four randomized clinical trials and some positive outcomes were attributed to the intervention in all trials. Solanum species (two trials) and oil of bitter orange preparations (one trial) were compared with conventional treatments. In all cases encouraging results were reported. There are few controlled clinical trials of herbal antifungal medicines. The most thoroughly clinically tested is tea tree oil, which holds some promise. All herbal remedies require further investigation in rigorous clinical trials.

Common perilla (Perilla frutescens (L.) Britton.) as a perspective immunomodulator

Medicina(Kaunas)40(3):220-4, 2004.Ragazinskiene O; Gailys V; Jankauskiene K; Simoniene G; JurkstieneV

País de publicação: Lithuania

Kaunas Botanical Garden, Vytautas Magnus University, Z. E. Zilibero 6, 3018 Kaunas, Lithuania. o.ragazinskiene@bs.vdu.lt

Resumo: Common perilla (Perilla frutescens (L.) Britton) is a new perspective annual medicinal dead-nettle family (Lamiaceae Lindl.) plant in Lithuania. Its medicinal raw material and preparations produced of it are characterised by the variety of pharmacological effects: desensitizing, antimicrobial, anti tumorous, and antioxidative. This species was introduced from the East Asia and cultivated in many European, Asian, and North American countries. The common perilla has been cultivated in Lithuania as a decorative plant in parks and squares since 1990. This plant has been introduced in the collection and exposition of medicinal plants in Kaunas Botanical Garden of Vytautas Magnus University since 1998 with the purpose to analyze biological and pharmacological properties of plants and to assess the quality and quantity of the raw herb. It would be reasonable to carry out experimental research on biological qualities and raw material of the common perilla in Lithuania in accordance with the contemporary technologies and requirements of the European Union standards.

Screening South Indian medicinal plants for antifungal activity against cutaneous pathogens.

Phytother Res;17(9):1123-5, 2003 Nov. Vonshak A; Barazani O; Sathiyamoorthy P; Shalev R; Vardy D; Golan-Goldhirsh A

Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Jacob Blaustein Institute for Desert Research, Albert Katz Department of Dryland Biotechnologies, Desert Plant Biotechnology Laboratory, Sede Boqer Campus, 84990, Israel.

Resumo: In this study, twenty-eight South Indian medicinal plants were screened for their anti-fungal activity against six species of fungi (Trichophyton mentagrophytes, T. rubrum, T. soudanense, Candida albicans, Torulopsis glabrata, and C. krusei). Three plant species extracts, Celastrus paniculatus, Eriodendron anfractuosum and Ficus glomerata showed inhibitory activity. An aqueous extract of galls of Terminalia chebula showed inhibitory effects on three dermatophytes (Trichophyton spp.) and three yeasts (Candida spp.). Seeds extract of T. chebula inhibited only the growth of T. glabrata. An aqueous extract of T. chebula showed inhibitory effects higher than those measured in ethanol extracts. It is therefore suggested that tannins are plausible candidates for the anti-dermatophytic effects of T. chebula. Chebulinic acid, a known tannin of T. chebula was tested and found not inhibitory, thus a search for the active compound is needed.

Bioactive alkyl phenols and embelin from Oxalis erythrorhiza.

J Ethnopharmacol;88(2-3):241-7, 2003 Oct. Feresin GE; Tapia A; Sortino M; Zacchino S; de Arias AR; Inchausti A; Yaluff G; Rodriguez J; Theoduloz C; Schmeda-Hirschmann G

Resumo: The benzoquinone embelin and four alkyl phenols were isolated from an Argentinean collection of Oxalis erythrorhiza. 3-Heptadecyl-5-methoxy-phenol is reported for the first time. The structures were determined by spectroscopic methods. Embelin presented inhibitory effect on methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and the dermatophytic fungi Epidermophyton floccosum, Microsporum canis, Microsporum gypseum, Trichophyton mentagrophytes and Trichophyton rubrum with MICs ranging between 50 and 100 microg/ml. Furthermore, embelin was active against Trypanosoma cruzi trypomastigotes with 100% lysis at 100 microg/ml and cytotoxicity below the trypanocidal concentration. The new alkyl phenol 3-heptadecyl-5-methoxy-phenol was active towards Leishmania amazonensis and Leishmania donovani promastigotes with 100% lysis at 100 microg/ml. The cytotoxicity (IC50) of embelin and the new alkyl phenol on human lung fibroblasts were 739 and 366 microM, respectively. The plant is used to treat heart complains, a symptomatology related to Chagas' disease which is endemic in the San Juan Province, Argentine.

Antibacterial and antifungal activity of Indonesian ethnomedical plants.

Fitoterapia;74(6):592-6, 2003 Sep. Goun E; Cunningham G; Chu D; Nguyen C; Miles D

Resumo: Methylene chloride and methanol extracts of 20 Indonesian plants with ethnomedical uses have been assessed for in vitro antibacterial and antifungal properties by disk diffusion method. Extracts of the six plants: Terminalia catappa, Swietenia mahagoni Jacq., Phyllanthus acuminatus, Ipomoea spp., Tylophora asthmatica and Hyptis brevipes demonstrated high activity in this bioassay system. These findings should stimulate the search for novel, natural product such as new antibacterial and antifungal agents.

Screening of traditionally used South African plants for antifungal activity against Candida albicans.

J Ethnopharmacol;86(2-3):235-41, 2003 Jun. Motsei ML; Lindsey KL; van Staden J; Jäger AK

Resumo: Twenty-four South African medicinal plants were screened against Candida albicans standard strain ATCC 10231 and two clinical isolates from a 5-month-old baby and an adult, in an attempt to find a traditional remedy to treat oral candidiasis, which is prevalent in HIV-patients. Allium sativum L. and Tulbaghia violacea L. aqueous bulb extracts had MIC values of 0.56 and 3.25mg/ml respectively, whilst Polygala myrtifolia L. leaves and Glycyrrhiza glabra L. rhizome extracts had MIC values of 1.56 mg/ml when tested against the 5-month-old isolate. Fresh water extracts stored at 4, 23 and 33 degrees C over a period of a week, were used to determine the stability of these extracts. Allium sativum and Tulbaghia violacea maintained activity at 4 degrees C, but not at higher temperatures, whereas Polygala myrtifolia and Glycyrrhiza glabra lost activity within a day even at 4 degrees C. The unpleasant taste of the two species with a garlic smell, could however not be masked, and as the smell following the eating of the two species would lead to HIV-patients being recognised, these two plants where not considered for further investigation. Therefore, Polygala myrtifolia and Glycyrrhiza glabra are being further investigated for use as an oral mouthwash in clinics and homes.

Antiplasmodial and antifungal activities of iridal, a plant triterpenoid.

Phytochemistry;62(5):747-51, 2003 Mar. Benoit-Vical F; Imbert C; Bonfils JP; Sauvaire Y

Resumo: Iridal, a triterpenoidic compound extracted from Iris germanica L., was previously shown to have an interesting activity on two cultured human tumor cell lines (A2780 and K562). In the present work, this same product was tested in vitro on Plasmodium falciparum chloroquine-resistant and -sensitive strains, in vivo on P. vinckei, and on some Candida albicans and C. parapsilosis strains too. The IC(50) obtained in vitro on human malaria strain ranged from 1.8 to 26.0 microg/ml and the ED(50) in vivo is about 85 mg/kg/day by intraperitoneal route. The minimal inhibitory concentrations were higher than to 50 microg/ml, whatever the strain of yeast tested. This product presents an antiplasmodial activity similar to that obtained with extracts from the plant Azadirachta indica classically taken as reference in malaria phytomedicine. Conversely iridal shows no important antifungal activity. The specific activity of iridal on human malaria parasite and on tumor cell lines is discussed.

Inhibition of human pathogenic fungi by ethnobotanically selected plant extracts.

Mycoses;46(1-2):29-37, 2003 Feb. Ficker CE; Arnason JT; Vindas PS; Alvarez LP; Akpagana K; Gbéassor M; De Souza C; Smith ML

Resumo: In this study, 36 extracts derived from 29 plant species selected using an ethnobotanical approach were tested for antifungal activity against a taxonomically diverse group of 13 human pathogenic fungi. We compared the inhibitory characteristics of these plant extracts with those of the commonly used antifungals, amphotericin B and ketoconazole, and the plant-derived antifungal, berberine. Several plant extracts, notably those from Zingiber officinale (ginger) and Juglans cinerea (butternut), had pronounced antifungal activity against a wide variety of fungi, including strains that were highly resistant to amphotericin B and ketoconazole. Further exploration of Z. officinale as an antifungal is warranted as this species is generally regarded as safe for human consumption.

Biologically active steroidal glycosides from Tribulus terrestris.

Pharmazie;57(7):491-3, 2002 Jul. Bedir E; Khan IA; Walker LA

Resumo: The steroidal saponin constituents obtained from Tribulus terrestris were tested for their antimicrobial and cytotoxic effects. The spirostanol-based steroidal saponins 1-3 exhibited remarkable activity against fungal organisms (Candida albicans and Cryptococcus neoformans) and cancer cell lines [human malignant melanoma (SK-MEL), human oral epidermoid carcinoma (KB), human breast ductal carcinoma (BT-549), and human ovary carcinoma (SK-OV-3)], while none of the compounds possessing the furostanol framework 4-7 showed activity. The most active spirostanol glycoside, compound 3 exhibited a broad range of anticancer activity against cell lines, SK-MEL, KB, BT-549 and SK-OV-3 at IC50s of 6.0, 7.0, 6.0 and 8.2 micrograms/ml, respectively, while compounds 1 and 2 showed selective cytotoxicity against SK-MEL at 6.7 and 9.1 micrograms/ml, respectively. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) in antifungal bioassay for compounds 1-3 varied from 1.5 to 6.2 micrograms/ml, which prompted to conclude certain structural features are required for these bioactivities.

First synthesis of the antifungal oidiolactone C from trans-communic acid: cytotoxic and antimicrobial activity in podolactone-related compounds.

J Org Chem;67(8):2501-8, 2002 Apr 19. Barrero AF; Arseniyadis S; Quílez del Moral JF; Herrador MM; Valdivia M; Jiménez D

Resumo: The synthesis of the fungicide oidiolactone C starting from diterpenic trans-communic acid was carried out with an overall yield of 11.7%. The key step in the process consists of a new bislactonization reaction catalyzed by Pd(II), which gives rise to the podolactone-type tetracyclic skeleton from a norlabdadienedioic acid. We also carried out a study of the structure-biological activity of different natural podolactones and their synthetic precursors. Thus, the highest cytotoxic activity was found in dienic dilactones with ether-type substitutions on C-17, whereas the closure of the gamma-lactone ring is not critical for presenting a maximal antimicrobial activity.

Bioactive saponins from Acacia tenuifolia from the suriname rainforest.

J Nat Prod;65(2):170-4, 2002 Feb. Seo Y; Hoch J; Abdel-Kader M; Malone S; Derveld I; Adams H; Werkhoven MC; Wisse JH; Mamber SW; Dalton JM; Kingston DG

Resumo: Bioassay-guided fractionation of the MeOH extract of Acacia tenuifolia using the engineered yeast strains 1138, 1140, 1353, and Sc7 as the bioassay tool resulted in the isolation of the three new saponins 3, 5, and 6 and the three known saponins 1, 2, and 4. The structures of the new compounds were established on the basis of HRMS, 1D and 2D NMR spectral data on the intact saponins, and GC-MS analyses of the sugars. Compounds 1,2 and 5,6 showed cytotoxicity against mammalian cell lines.

Novel bioactive clerodane diterpenoids from the leaves and twigs of Casearia sylvestris.

J Nat Prod;65(2):95-9, 2002 Feb. Oberlies NH; Burgess JP; Navarro HA; Pinos RE; Fairchild CR; Peterson RW; Soejarto DD; Farnsworth NR; Kinghorn AD; Wani MC; Wall ME

Resumo: Fractionation of a methanol extract of the leaves and twigs of Casearia sylvestris, as directed by activity against KB cell cytotoxicity, led to the isolation of three novel clerodane diterpenoids, casearvestrins A-C (1-3). The structures of 1-3 were deduced from one- and two-dimensional NMR experiments, including relative stereochemical assignments based on ROESY correlations and COSY coupling constants. All three compounds displayed promising bioactivity, both in cytotoxicity assays against a panel of tumor cell lines and in antifungal assays via the growth inhibition of Aspergillus niger in a disk diffusion assay.

Antitumor and antifungal activities in endophytic fungi isolated from pharmaceutical plants Taxus mairei, Cephalataxus fortunei and Torreya grandis.

Source: FEMS Immunol Med Microbiol;31(2):163-7, 2001 Aug. Huang Y; Wang J; Li G; Zheng Z; Su W

Resumo: The purpose of this work was to screen the endophytic fungi having antitumor or antifungal activity, which were isolated from the inner barks of three kinds of pharmaceutical plants, Taxus mairei, Cephalataxus fortunei and Torreya grandis, collected from Fujian province, China. Antitumor activity was studied by the MTT assay and antifungal activity was determined by observing fungal growth inhibition. 13.4% of endophytic fungi fermentation broths displayed cytotoxic activity on HL-60 cells at and below a dilution of 1:50, and 6.4% on KB cells. 52.3% of endophytic fungi fermentation broths displayed growth inhibition on at least one pathogenic fungi, such as Neurospora sp., Trichoderma sp. and Fusarium sp. Among all endophytic fungi isolated, the genus Paecilomyces sp. has the highest positive rate of antitumor and antifungal activity. These results indicate that endophytic fungi could be a promising source for antitumor and antifungal bioactive agents.

Antimicrobial activity of seed extracts and bondenolide from Caesalpinia bonduc (L.) Roxb.

Phytother Res;15(5):437-40, 2001 Aug. Simin K; Khaliq-Uz-Zaman SM; Ahmad VU

H.E.J. Research Institute of Chemistry, University of Karachi, Karachi 75270, Pakistan.

Resumo: The antibacterial and antifungal activities, along with a phytotoxicity test of the newly isolated diterpene bondenolide (1), of a methanol extract, ethylacetate fraction and water soluble part of the methanol extract of Caesalpinia bonduc (L.) Roxb. were assayed.

Screening of Malian medicinal plants for antifungal, larvicidal, molluscicidal, antioxidant and radical scavenging activities.

Phytother Res;15(5):401-6, 2001 Aug.Diallo D; Marston A; Terreaux C; TouréY; Paulsen BS; Hostettmann K

Resumo: A total of 78 different extracts from 20 medicinal plants belonging to 14 plant families from Mali were tested for their antifungal, larvicidal, molluscicidal, antioxidant and radical scavenging activities. Dichloromethane, methanol, water and ethanol extracts were used. TLC autobiography for antifungal activity was run with Cladosporium cucumerinum and Candida albicans. Extracts were also tested on the larvae of the mosquitoes Aedes aegypti, Anopheles gambiae and Culex quinquefasciatus. Molluscicidal activities were established with the snails Biomphalaria glabrata, Biomphalaria pfeifferi and Bulinus truncatus. beta-Carotene and DPPH solutions sprayed on TLC plates were used for antioxidant and radical scavenging assays. Of the extracts investigated, 20% were antioxidant and radical scavengers, 19% fungicidal, 30% were larvicidal and 11% were molluscicidal. Three of the plant extracts, from Cussonia barteri (Araliaceae), Glinus oppositifolius (Aïzoaceae) and Lannea velutina (Anacardiaceae) gave positive responses in all four tests.

Purification of chrysancorin, a novel antifungal protein with mitogenic activity from garland chrysanthemum seeds.

Biol Chem;382(6):947-51, 2001 Jun. Wang H; Ye XY; Ng TB

Department of Microbiology, College of Biological Science, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China.