caryophyllene and eucalyptin

Lophostemon suaveolens is a relatively unexplored endemic medicinal plant of Australia. Extracts of fresh leaves of L. suaveolens obtained from sequential extraction with n-hexane and dichloromethane exhibited antibacterial activity in the disc diffusion and MTT microdilution assays against Streptococcus pyogenes and methicillin sensitive and resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus (minimum bactericidal concentration < 63 μg/mL). The dichloromethane extract and chromatographic fractions therein inhibited nitric oxide in RAW264.7 murine macrophages (IC50 3.7-11.6 μg/mL) and also PGE2 in 3T3 murine fibroblasts (IC50 2.8-19.7 μg/mL). The crude n-hexane, dichloromethane and water extracts of the leaves and chromatographic fractions from the dichloromethane extract also showed modest antioxidant activity in the ORAC assay. GC-MS analysis of the n-hexane fraction showed the presence of the antibacterial compounds aromadendrene, spathulenol, β-caryophyllene, α-humulene and α-pinene and the anti-inflammatory compounds β-caryophyllene and spathulenol. Fractionation of the dichloromethane extract led to the isolation of eucalyptin and the known anti-inflammatory compound betulinic acid.

Topics: 3T3 Cells; Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Anti-Inflammatory Agents; Australia; Azulenes; Betulinic Acid; Bicyclic Monoterpenes; Flavonoids; Mice; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Monocyclic Sesquiterpenes; Monoterpenes; Myrtaceae; Nitric Oxide; Pentacyclic Triterpenes; Plant Extracts; Plant Leaves; Plants, Medicinal; Polycyclic Sesquiterpenes; RAW 264.7 Cells; Sesquiterpenes; Staphylococcus aureus; Streptococcus pyogenes; Triterpenes; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha