Constituents of Erythrina lysistemon: Their brine shrimp lethality, antimicrobial and radical scavenging activities

Abstract

Three new compounds, 4′,7-dihydroxy-2″ ,2″-dimethylpyrano [5″,6″:5,6]-isoflavone (1), (7E) (8,2′)-3,7,9,5′, 9'′pentahydroxy-4,4′-dimethoxyneolign-7-ene (2) and (9E,11Z) 14-hydroxyoctadecan-9,11-dienoic acid (3), along with other known flavonoids, benzenoids, alkaloids and phenylpropanoids were isolated from the twigs, leaves, stem bark, stem wood and flowers of Erythrina lysistemon. Their structures were established on the basis of spectroscopic evidence. Some of these compounds have shown high lethality against brine shrimps (Artemia salina), moderate radical scavenging ability in the DPPH assay, moderate antifungal activity against Candida mycoderma, moderate activity against the Gram-positive (Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus) and weak activity against Gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli).