Abstract
The antimicrobial activity of a total of 27 tannins and related compounds was evaluated
against 8 microorganisms, including 2 Gram-positive (Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus), 4 Gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Proteus mirabilis), and 2 yeasts (Candida albicans, Cryptococcus neoformans). The compounds tested were generally found to possess only weak to moderate antibacterial,
but fairly high anticryptococcal activities. Attention is given to structure-activity
relationships with emphasis on simple galloyl esters, hydrolyzable tannins and proanthocyanidins
among this class of secondary products.
