Indigofera daleoides Benth. ex Harv. & Sond. (Fabaceae) is used by traditional healers in Limpopo Province for treatment of diarrhoea. The bioassay-guided fractionation of the ethylacetate extract from I. daleoides led to the isolation of two pure compounds which were identified as compound 1 (6,2-O-[3-nitropropanoyl-β-D-glucopyranose]) and compound 2 with a novel skeleton (6,3',4'-trihydroxyflavan 5'-O-glucopyranoside). These compounds were isolated for the first time from I. daleoides. Isolated compounds were tested for antibacterial and cytotoxic activities in vitro using micro dilution method and sodium-2,3-bis-[2-methoxy-4-nitro-5-sulfophenyl]-2H-tetrazolium-5carboxanilide (XTT) assay, respectively. The results showed that compound 2 (flavonoid), isolated from I. daleoides, exhibited the highest antibacterial activity against S. aureus, S. typhy, V. cholera, E. coli and S. dysentery with MIC values ranging between 25-50 µg/ml. Compound 1 (nitrocompound) was found to be less active than compound 2 (flavonoid) against most of the bacteria tested. Staphylococcus aureus had higher susceptibility to compound 2 (flavonoid) as compared to the other bacteria tested. Compound 1 (nitrocompound) and 2 (flavonoid) isolated from I. daleoides had relatively high fifty per cent inhibitory concentration (IC 50 values) (349.4 and 364.5 µg/ml, respectively) as compared to the crude extract (IC 50 254 µg/ml), thus suggesting these compounds are less cytotoxic to Vero cells than the crude ethanol extract. The results of this study suggest possible antidiarrhoeal potential of these compounds, especially compound 2 (flavonoid) from I. daleoides which need to be further investigated. This is the first report on the antibacterial activity and cytotoxicity of purified compounds from I. daleoides. [Medicinal Plants 2009; 1(1) : 21-26].
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.