Bioassay-guided fractionation of the fruit pericarp of Pentadesma butyracea, using the antiplasmodial test, led to the isolation of a new xanthone, named pentadexanthone (1), together with six known compounds: cratoxylone (2), α-mangostin (3), 1,3,5-trihydroxy-2-methoxyxanthone (4), garcinone E (5), (-)-epicathechin (6), and lupeol (7). The structure of 1 was elucidated by spectroscopic data analysis. An antiplasmodial assay was performed with the isolates, in which compounds 1- 3 and 5 exhibited potent activity in vitro against Plasmodium falciparum chloroquine-resistant strain W2, with IC₅₀ values below 3 µM.

Phytochemical investigation of the bark and leaves of Pancovia laurentii (Sapindaceae) resulted in the isolation of a new ceramide and a new cerebroside, named pancoviamide (1), and pancovioside (2) respectively, together with six known compounds: uracil, (R)-N-[(1S,2S,3R)-2,3-dihydroxy-1-(hydroxymethyl)heptadec-5-en-1-yl]-2-hydroxytetracosanamide, stigmasta-7,22-dien-3-ol, b-stitosterol, b-sitosterol 3-O-b-d-glucopyranoside, and 2,3-dihydroxypropyl pentadecanoate. The structures of 1 and 2 were determined by means of spectroscopic methods. Compounds 1 and 2 were tested in vitro for their antiprotozoal properties against several protozoa and for their cytotoxicity.

No abstract

Background: Plants are traditionally a major source of primary health care for local communities, but also for all people in all countries of the world. This study investigated the in vitro antimicrobial and antiproliferative activities of the methanol extract and of purified compounds from fruits of Ficus bubu Warb. Methods: The antimicrobial activities of the methanol extract and of purified compounds from fruits of Ficus bubu, were determined using microbroth dilution method against a set of bacteria and fungi pathogens including: Enterococcus faecalis, Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus saprophyticus, Staphylococcus epidermididis, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumonia, Salmonella typhimurium, Candida albicans, Trichophyton rubrum. The MIC values were evaluated after 24 h incubation at 37°C. Subsequently, MTT assay was used to estimate anti-proliferative activity of these methanol extracts and purified compounds on three human cancer cell lines (U373 glioblastoma, A549 NSCLC and SKMEL-28 melanoma). Results: Extensive chromatographic isolations provided two stilbenes, that were identified by NMR and mass spectrometry as trans-resveratrol 4a and piceid 7a, in addition to several other chemical compounds. It was found that trans-resveratrol 4a exhibited the best antimicrobial activity (MIC value of 11 μg/mL), and presented a good anticancer activity (IC 50 of 36 and 57 µM against A549 and SK-MEL-28 cancer cell lines, respectively). The peracetylation of isolated compounds was found to increase their antiproliferative activity. The peracetylated piceid 7b was the most efficient with an IC 50 of 16 µM against the cells of melanoma skin cancer SK-MEL-28 while the starting crude extract did not show any activity. In contrast, this crude extract exhibited good antimicrobial activity against all tested strains. Conclusion: The present study constitutes the first phytochemical report on the methanol extract from F. bubu fruits and establishes the preliminary basis for its medical use. Finally, it is worth mentioning that polyphenolic piceid 7a is isolated for the first time from a plant of the genus Ficus.