A New 3-Prenyl-2-flavene and Other Extractives from Baphia massaiensis and Their Antimicrobial Activities

Abstract

One new 3-prenyl-2-flavene, named baphiflavene A, 1, and eleven known compounds, 2-12, were isolated and reported for the first time from Baphia massaiensis using several chromatographic techniques. Their structures were elucidated using different spectroscopic techniques; 1D and 2D-NMR, HRMS, GC-MS, UV/Vis, FTIR and by comparison with literature data. The isolates were tested against Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli and Candida albicans to establish their preliminary antimicrobial activities. The results revealed that compound 1 had moderate activities against both Gram positive ( B. subtilis and S. aureus) and Gram negative ( E. coli and P. aeruginosa) bacteria, and good activity against C. albicans with inhibition zones of 10–23 mm (compared to 19 mm for chloramphenicol and miconazole standards). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first phytochemical work reported on Baphia massaiensis.