Antimicrobial Activity of the Sesquiterpene Esters of Ferula halophila Peşmen

The dichloromethane extract of the roots of Ferula halophila was tested at six concentrations (ranking from 10 mg/ml to 0.3 mg/ml) against a panel of 36 microorganisms in vitro. This extract showed inhibitory activity against all of the Gram-positive bacteria tested, one of the Gram-negative bacterium (Stenotrophomonas maltophilia) and one yeast (Candida albicans) species at low concentration (0.3 mg/ml). In order to identify the antimicrobial compound(s) of the dichloromethane extract, a TLC-bioautography analysis was performed using the most sensitive microorganisms. The angelate and tiglate esters of kurubaschic acid (1 and 2) and ferutinin (3) were identified as the most active compounds of dichloromethane extract.