Chemical constituents and antimicrobial activities of Canthium horridum

Abstract

Bioassay-guided isolation studies of the extract of Canthium horridum Bl. stem led to the isolation of ten compounds: (+)-syringaresinol (1), scoparone (2), scopoletin (3), 3′-methoxy-4′-hydroxy-trans-cinnamaldehyde (4), sinapic aldehyde (5), syringic acid (6), mannitol (7), vanillic acid 4-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (8), β-daucosterol (9), and β-sitosterol (10). Compounds 1-10 were reported for the first time from this species, and compounds 1, 4, 5, 6, and 8 from the genus. The antimicrobial activities of the isolated compounds were studied; 6 had the highest activity against Bacillus subtilis, but 1 showed good activity against Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus. Compounds 2, 4 and 6 also inhibited the growth of these three bacteria. None of the compounds demonstrated inhibitory activity against Aspergillus niger.