In order to produce bioactive derivatives of carvacrol and thymol, nine derivatives of each compound were prepared through modifications the phenolic hydroxyl group. The structures of compounds were confirmed by spectral data from MS, IR and NMR. Carvacrol, thymol and derivatives were submitted to the evaluation of the inhibition of the enzyme acetylcholinesterase, using a colorimetric method in which the inhibition of the enzyme is measured by coloration, and larvicidal activity against Aedes aegypti. Derivatives carvacryl acetate-1b and thymyl hexanoate-2b showed the best results for the inhibition of the acetylcholinesterase enzyme, and for the larvicidal activity the derivatives 1a, 1b, 1c, 3h, 2a, 2b, 2c and 4h showed positive results, emphasizing compound thymyl 4-methoxybenzoate-4h which showed LC 50 values of 23.60 ppm, considered a very good result.

A new bibenzyl, 2'-hydroxy-3,5-dimethoxy-4-methylbibenzyl (1) and four known compounds identified as 2'-hydroxy-3,5-dimethoxybibenzyl (2), liquiritigenin (3), guibourtinidol (4) and fisetinidol (5) were isolated from the roots of Bauhinia ungulata L. Phytochemical investigations of the stems of B. ungulata led to the isolation of the known compounds identified as liquiritigenin (3), guibourtinidol (4), fisetinidol (5), taraxerol (6), betulinic acid (7), taraxerone (8), glutinol (9), a mixture of sitosterol (10) and stigmasterol (11), pacharin (12), naringenin (13) and eriodictyol (14). The structures of these compounds were elucidated on the basis of their spectral data (IR, MS, 1D- and 2D-NMR). The cytotoxicity of the bibenzyl 1 has been evaluated against four human cancer cell lines, showing the IC values of 4.3 and 6.5 μg ml against pro-myelocytic leukemia (HL-60) and cervical adenocarcinoma (HEP-2) cell lines, respectively. This article also registers for the first time the C-NMR data of the known bibenzyl 2.

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The essential oils obtained by hydrodistillation from fresh leaves of Vitex agnus-castus and Ocimum campechianum, and from fresh inflorescences of Ocimum carnosum were analysed by GC-FID and GC-MS. The major components of V. agnus-castus essential oil were identified as 1,8-cineole (47.9%), terpinyl α-acetate (11.6%), sabinene (11.2%) and caryophyllene oxide (9.7%), while in the O. campechianum essential oil were eugenol (72.1%), β-elemene (6.8%), (E)-caryophyllene (6.4%) and bicyclogermacrene (5.2%). Linalool (79.0%), α-epi-cadinol (5.4%), terpinen-4-ol (3.2%) and 1,8-cineole (2.8%) were the major constituents in the O. carnosum essential oil. The essential oils were subsequently evaluated for their larvicidal and cytotoxic activities. Larval bioassay against Aedes aegypti of V. agnus-castus, O. campechianum and O. carnosum essential oils showed LC 50 values of 97.55 ± 0.35, 81.45 ± 0.35 and 109.49 ± 0.35 μg/mL, respectively. The in vitro cytotoxic activities of the essential oils has been evaluated on breast adenocarcinoma (MCF-7), lung carcinoma (NCI-H292), pro-myelocytic leukemia (HL-60), and cervical adenocarcinoma (HEP-2) human cell lines, and pro-myelocytic leukemia cells lines (HL-60) were found to be the most sensitive to all the essential oils tested than the others. This is the first report on larvicidal and cytotoxic activities of these essential oils.

Two steroids (1 and 2), two oxepin derivatives (3 and 4) and seven flavonoids (5)(6)(7)(8)(9)(10)(11) were isolated from the stems of Bauhinia pentandra. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of NMR spectroscopic data, and by comparison with data previously reported in literature. The ethanol extract from the stems of B. pentandra and the compounds, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 11 have been evaluated as acetylcholinesterase inhibitors, and among these, the compound 5 exhibited the strongest activity. In addition, all the isolated compounds are reported for the first time as constituents of B. pentandra.