Planta Med 2015; 81 - PM_101
DOI: 10.1055/s-0035-1565478

Chemical constituents and biological properties of liverworts from South Africa

S Combrinck 1, J Linde 2, A Ludwiczuk 3, S Van Vuuren 4, J Van Rooy 5, NS Mokgalaka 2
  • 1Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tshwane University of Technology, Pretoria, South Africa
  • 2Department of Chemistry, Tshwane University of Technology, Pretoria, South Africa
  • 3Department of Pharmacognosy, Medical University of Lublin, Lublin, Poland
  • 4Department of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
  • 5South African Biodiversity Institute, Pretoria, South Africa

Liverworts (Marchantiophyta) are considered to be the oldest terrestrial plants. At present more than 1500 terpenoids and 350 aromatic compounds (excluding flavonoids) have been isolated from or detected in the Marchantiophyta [1]. Several of these constituents are unique to liverworts and exhibit interesting biological activities, including antibacterial and antifungal activities [2]. Although 1200 species occur in southern Africa, a Scopus search revealed that no studies related to the chemistry of these liverworts have been done. Liverwort specimens, 48 specimens representing nine species, were collected from several localities in South Africa. Volatile compounds, extracted using solvent-based extraction, were identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Solvent extracts (MeOH: CHCl3) were evaluated for their antimicrobial activities against Candida albicans (ATCC 10240), Cryptococcus neoformans (ATCC 1416), Enterococcus faecalis (ATCC 29212), Escherichia coli (ATCC 8740), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC 27853) and Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 25923). The most active extract was that from Plagiochasma rupestre against P. aeruginosa and E. faecalis, with minimum inhibitory concentrations of 0.5 mg/mL and 1.8 mg/mL respectively. Reversed phase preparative high performance liquid chromatography purification of the extract from Dumortiera hirsute yielded a compound, identified as the dumortane-type derivative 1,1,1α,6-tetramethyl-3-methylidenedecahydrocyclopropa[e]indene, using GC-MS, and one and two dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. This is first report on the volatile profiles of Fossombronia swaziensis, Pallavicinia lyellii and Marchantia pappeana.

References:

[1] Asakawa Y, Ludwiczuk A, Nagashima F. Phytochemical and biological studies of bryophytes. Phytochemistry 2013; 91: 52 – 80.

[2] Ludwiczuk A, Asakawa Y. Distribution of terpenoids and aromatic compounds in selected southern hemispheric liverworts. Fieldiana, Bot 2008; 47: 37 – 58.