The biological activities of a plant extract depend on a complex sum of individual properties including the antioxidant activity. Several biological activities protect against the harmful action of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and here we focused our attention on the relationship between the biological activities tested and the antioxidant properties. In this study, the total flavonoid content as well as the antioxidant, antimicrobial, hemolytic and cytotoxicity activities of the methanolic extract of Leitothrix spiralis leaves were evaluated. The extract showed a total flavonoid content of 19.26% and the chemical characterization by HPLC-PAD confirmed the presence of flavonoids as the major secondary metabolite compounds. Significant antioxidant activity (IC50 = 1.743 μg/mL ± 0.063) was demonstrated and was effective against Gram-negative organisms and all Candida strains tested, and showed an ability to inhibit hyphal formation. Non-hemolytic and antiproliferative activity could be demonstrated.

Chemical fractionation of the methanolic extract of leaves of Leiothrix spiralis Ruhland afforded the flavonoids luteolin-6-C-β-D-glucopyranoside (1), 7-methoxyluteolin-6-C-β-D-glucopyranoside (2), 7-methoxyluteolin-8-C-β-D-glucopyranoside (3), 4′-methoxyluteolin-6-C-β-D-glucopyranoside (4), and 6-hydroxy-7-methoxyluteolin (5), and the xanthones 8-carboxymethyl-1,5,6-trihydroxy-3-methoxyxanthone (6), 8-carboxy-methyl-1,3,5,6-tetrahydroxyxanthone (7). Methanolic extract, fractions, and isolated compounds of the leaves of L. spiralis were assayed against Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis and Enterococcus faecalis) and Gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella setubal and Helicobacter pylori) and fungi (the yeasts Candida albicans, C. tropicalis, C. krusei and C. parapsilosis). We observed the best minimum inhibitory concentration values for the methanolic extract against Candida parapsilosis, for the fraction 5 + 6 against Gram-negative bacteria E. coli and P. aeruginosa, and compound 7 against all tested Candida strains. The methanolic extract contents suggest that this species may be a promising source of compounds to produce natural phytomedicines.

Three new benzaldehyde derivatives, sporulosaldeins A – C (1–3), and 3 new benzopyran derivatives, sporulosaldeins D – F (4–6), were discovered from an endophytic fungus, Paraphaeosphaeria sp. F03, which was isolated from Paepalanthus planifolius leaves. Compounds 1–6 were elucidated by 1- and 2-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance experiments and high-resolution mass spectrometry analysis. The absolute configuration of compound 5 was determined through the comparison of experimental and calculated electronic circular dichroism data. Compounds 1–6 were found to exhibit antifungal activity with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values of 7.8 – 250 µg/mL and racemic mixture of compound 6 exhibited weak cytotoxicity against MCF-7 and LM3 with IC50 values of 34.4 and 39.2 µM, respectively.

In an attempt to explore the biosynthetic potential of endosymbiotic fungi, the secondary metabolite profiles of the endophytic fungus, Anteaglonium sp. FL0768, cultured under a variety of conditions were investigated. In potato dextrose broth (PDB) medium, Anteaglonium sp. FL0768 produced the heptaketides, herbaridine A (1), herbarin (2), 1-hydroxydehydroherbarin (3), scorpinone (4), and the methylated hexaketide 9S,11R-(+)-ascosalitoxin (5). Incorporation of commonly used epigenetic modifiers, 5-azacytidine and suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid, into the PDB culture medium of this fungus had no effect on its secondary metabolite profile. However, the histone acetyl transferase inhibitor, anacardic acid, slightly affected the metabolite profile affording scorpinone (4) as the major metabolite together with 1-hydroxydehydroherbarin (3) and a different methylated hexaketide, ascochitine (6). Intriguingly, incorporaion of Cu2+ into the PDB medium enhanced production of metabolites and drastically affected the biosynthetic pathway resulting in the production of pentaketide dimers, palmarumycin CE4 (7), palmarumycin CP4 (8), and palmarumycin CP1 (9), in addition to ascochitine (6). The structure of the new metabolite 7 was established with the help of spectroscopic data and by MnO2 oxidation to the known pentaketide dimer, palmarumycin CP3 (10). Biosynthetic pathways to some metabolites in Anteaglonium sp. FL0768 are presented and possible effects of AA and Cu2+ on these pathways are discussed.

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The chemical investigation of ethyl acetate extract from Paepalanthus planifolius capitula resulted in the identification of 1H-naphtho [2,3-c],10-dihydroxy-5,7-dimethoxy-3-methyl, vioxanthin and paepalantine dimer, and also the isolation and identification of a new naphthopyranone dimer named planifoliusin A. The chemical structures of two compounds were elucidated by performing spectroscopic 1D and 2D nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) experiments and spectrometric HRMS (high-resolution mass spectrometry) analysis. Other six naphthopyranone dimers were proposed by MS fragmentation patterns. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values for vioxanthin (7.8 µg mL

The screening for antimicrobial activity of twenty five endophytic fungi isolated from the aerial parts of Paepalanthus chiquitensis (Eriocaulaceae) was assayed against the bacteria Grampositive Staphylococcus aureus, Gram-negative Escherichia coli and Salmonella setubal, and the yeast fluconazole-resistant Candida albicans. The ethyl acetate extract produced by Fusarium fujikuroi was the most bioactive and this fungus was chosen for the chemical study, affording the isolation of an alkaloid 2-(4-butylpicolinamide) acetic acid and three known metabolites: fusaric acid, indole acetic acid and the sesterterpene terpestacin. The minimal inhibitory concentration of the extract and of fusaric acid and indole acetic acid for all the tested microorganisms had values from 125 to 1000 µg mL -1 .