The natural compound RA [(R)-(+)-rosmarinic acid, l " Fig. 1 is a common ester derived from caffeic acid and (R)-(+)-3-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)lactic acid that can accumulate in high amounts in many plant species. RA is abundant in several medicinal plants of the Lamiaceae family, such as rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L.), spearmint (Mentha spp.), and lemon balm (Melissa officinalis L.), and also in plants used in traditional Chinese medicine, such as Perilla frutescens (L.) Britton, Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge, and Rabdosia rubescens (Hemsl.) H. Hara. Many studies have reported the role of RA in the biological activity of these plants as well as its pharmaceutical and biotechnological

No abstract

No abstract

Compounds from Erythrina sigmoidea and mostly 6α-hydroxyphaseollidin are potential antiproliferative natural products that deserve more investigations to develop novel anticancer drugs against sensitive and otherwise drug-resistant phenotypes.

BackgroundMany plants of the family Moraceae are used in the treatment of infectious diseases. Ficus polita Vahl., an edible plant belonging to this family is used traditionally in case of dyspepsia, infectious diseases, abdominal pains and diarrhea. The present work was designed to assess the antimicrobial activity of the methanol extract from the roots of F. polita (FPR), as well as that of its fractions (FPR1-5) and two of the eight isolated compounds, namely euphol-3-O-cinnamate (1) and (E)-3,5,4'-trihydroxy-stilbene-3,5-O-β-D-diglucopyranoside (8).MethodsThe liquid microdilution assay was used in the determination of the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) and the minimal microbicidal concentration (MMC), against seven bacterial and one fungal species.ResultsThe results of the MIC determination showed that the crude extract, fractions FPR1, FPR2 and compound 8 were able to prevent the growth of the eight tested microorganisms. Other samples showed selective activity. The lowest MIC value of 64 μg/ml for the crude extract was recorded on 50% of the studied microbial species. The corresponding value for fractions of 32 μg/ml was obtained on Salmonella typhi, Escherichia coli and Candida albicans ATCC strains. The MIC values recorded with compound 8 on the resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa PA01 strain was equal to that of chloramphenicol used as reference antibiotic.ConclusionThe obtained results highlighted the interesting antimicrobial potency of F. polita as well as that of compound 8, and provided scientific basis for the traditional use of this taxon in the treatment of microbial infections.