A new cyclohexenone (1) and a new caffeoyl ester derivative (2), together with the known compounds (-)-isolariciresinol 3-alpha-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside (3), (+)-1-hydroxypinoresinol 1-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside (4), isoacteoside (5), luteolin 4'-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside (6), and indole-3-carboxylic acid (7), were isolated from the leaves of Bauhinia tarapotensis. The structures of these new compounds were determined by spectroscopic data analysis. The antioxidant activities of 1-7 were determined by measuring their free radical scavenging effects, using the 1,1-diphenyl-2-dipicrylhydrazyl free radical (DPPH) and Trolox equivalent antioxidant activity (TEAC) methods, and the coupled oxidation of beta-carotene and linoleic acid. Compounds 3-5 showed good activities in the DPPH and TEAC tests, while compounds 1 and 2 were active in the coupled oxidation of beta-carotene and linoleic acid bioassay.

No abstract

A quantitative study of the phenolic constituents of wild and cultivated leaves of Sclerocarya birrea(Anacardiaceae) was carried out by HPLC-UV/PDA and LC-MS. Phytochemical analysis of the methanol extract of wild plants led to the isolation of one new flavonol glycoside, quercetin 3-O-alpha-l-(5' '-galloyl)-arabinofuranoside (1), and eight known phenolic compounds; two epicatechin derivatives were also isolated from the same extract of the cultivated species. The antioxidant activity of all isolated compounds was determined by measuring free radical scavenging effects using the Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity assay and the coupled oxidation of beta-carotene and linoleic acid (autoxidation assay).

No abstract

No abstract

Prostatitis is an inflammatory condition that is related to multiple infectious agents, including bacteria and fungi. Traditional herbal extracts proved efficacious in controlling clinical symptoms associated with prostatitis. In this context, the aim of the present study was to explore the efficacy of extracts from Solidago virga-aurea, Ononis spinosa, Peumus boldus, Epilobium angustifolium, and Phyllanthus niruri against bacterial (Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus) and fungi strains (Candida albicans; C. tropicalis) involved in prostatitis. Additionally, anti-mycotic effects were tested against multiple species of dermatophytes (Trichophyton rubrum, T. tonsurans, T. erinacei, Arthroderma crocatum, A. quadrifidum, A. gypseum, A. currey, and A. insingulare). Antioxidant effects were also evaluated in isolated rat prostates challenged with lipopolysaccharide (LPS), and phytochemical analyses were conducted to identify and quantify selected phenolic compounds, in the extracts. Finally, a bioinformatics analysis was conducted to predict putative human and microbial enzymes targeted by extracts’ phytocompounds and underlying the observed bio-pharmacological effects. The phytochemical analysis highlighted that rutin levels could be crucial for explaining the highest antibacterial activity of P. boldus extract, especially against E. coli and B. cereus. On the other hand, in the E. angustifolium extract, catechin concentration could partially explain the highest efficacy of this extract in reducing lipid peroxidation, in isolated rat prostates stimulated with LPS. Concluding, the results of the present study showed moderate antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory effects induced by water extracts of S. virga-aurea, P. boldus, E. angustifolium, P. niruri, and O. spinosa that could be related, at least partially, to the phenolic composition of the phytocomplex.

Four new diterpenes (1-4) have been isolated from the aerial parts of Lavandula multifida, together with the known compound glutinosin (5). The structures of these compounds were identified on the basis of extensive NMR studies as 15,16-dihydroxy-7,11-dioxopimar-8(9)-ene (1), 15S,16-dihyroxy-7-oxopimar-8(9)-ene (2), 15,16,17-trihydroxy-7-oxopimar-8(9)-ene (3), and 15,16,17-trihydroxypimar-8(9)-ene (4). The absolute configuration of the 15,16-diol moiety in 1-5 was determined observing the circular dichroism induced after addition of dimolybdenum tetracetate in DMSO solution.

No abstract