Planta Med 2013; 79(08): 707-710
DOI: 10.1055/s-0032-1328542
Natural Product Chemistry
Letters
Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York

New Antibacterial Germacrene from Verbesina negrensis

Flor D. Mora
1   Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, Edwardsville, IL, USA
3   Departamento de Farmacognosia y Medicamentos Orgánicos, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad de Los Andes, Mérida, Venezuela
,
Lara Alpan
2   Department of Biological Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, Edwardsville, IL, USA
,
Nunziatina de Tommasi
4   Dipartimento di Scienze Farmaceutiche e Biomediche, Università di Salerno, Fisciano (Salerno), Italy
,
Vance J. McCracken
2   Department of Biological Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, Edwardsville, IL, USA
,
Marcelo Nieto
1   Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, Edwardsville, IL, USA
› Author Affiliations
Further Information

Publication History

received 31 October 2012
revised 21 March 2013

accepted 29 March 2013

Publication Date:
13 May 2013 (online)

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Abstract

Several health benefits have been attributed to members of the Verbesina genus, including promotion of urinary and gastrointestinal health. Verbesina species are also reported to exhibit antibacterial, antiparasitic, and antioxidant activities. Although members of the Verbesina genus produce various pharmacologically relevant chemicals as secondary metabolites, including eudesmanes, flavonoids, guanidine alkaloids, acetylenic compounds, and germacrenes, the active compounds required for these benefits remain unknown. To investigate potential antimicrobial activities of Verbesina negrensis, crude extracts from plant aerial structures were evaluated. Following chemical fractionation, the chloroformic extract from Verbesina negrensis was subjected to bioassay-guided isolation using disk diffusion assays to determine antimicrobial activity. The active compound was characterized as 6β-cinnamoyloxy-1β-hydroxy-10α-metoxy-3-oxo-germacra-4,5Z-ene (1). Fractions containing 1 inhibited both Enterococcus faecalis (ATCC 29 212) and Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 29213). The MIC for 1 was determined by microbroth dilution assay to be 64 µg/mL for both E. faecalis and S. aureus.

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