Terpenoids from Cleome droserifolia (Forssk.) Del

Potential Surviving Effect of Cleome droserifolia Extract against Systemic Staphylococcus aureus Infection: Investigation of the Chemical Content of the Plant

The increasing rates of morbidity and mortality owing to bacterial infections, particularly Staphylococcus aureus have necessitated finding solutions to face this issue. Thus, we elucidated the phytochemical constituents and antibacterial potential of Cleome droserifolia extract (CDE). Using LC-ESI-MS/MS, the main phytoconstituents of CDE were explored, which were kaempferol-3,7-O-bis-alpha-L-rhamnoside, isorhamnetin, cyanidin-3-glucoside, kaempferide, kaempferol-3-O-alpha-L-rhamnoside, caffeic acid, isoquercitrin, quinic acid, isocitrate, mannitol, apigenin, acacetin, and naringenin. The CDE exerted an antibacterial action on S. aureus isolates with minimum inhibitory concentrations ranging from 128 to 512 µg/mL. Also, CDE exhibited antibiofilm action using a crystal violet assay. A scanning electron microscope was employed to illuminate the effect of CDE on biofilm formation, and it considerably diminished S. aureus cell number in the biofilm. Moreover, qRT-PCR was performed to study the effect of CDE on biofilm gene expression (cna, fnbA, and icaA). The CDE revealed a downregulating effect on the studied biofilm genes in 43.48% of S. aureus isolates. Regarding the in vivo model, CDE significantly decreased the S. aureus burden in the liver and spleen of CDE-treated mice. Also, it significantly improved the mice's survival and substantially decreased the inflammatory markers (interleukin one beta and interleukin six) in the studied tissues. Furthermore, CDE has improved the histology and tumor necrosis factor alpha immunohistochemistry in the liver and spleen of the CDE-treated group. Thus, CDE could be considered a promising candidate for future antimicrobial drug discovery studies.

Flavonol Glycosides: In Vitro Inhibition of DPPIV, Aldose Reductase and Combating Oxidative Stress are Potential Mechanisms for Mediating the Antidiabetic Activity of Cleome droserifolia

Diabetes is a major health problem that is associated with high risk of various complications. Medicinal plants hold great promise against diabetes. The traditional use of Cleome droserifolia as an antidiabetic agent was correlated to its flavonol glycosides content. In the current study, five major flavonol glycosides appeared on the RP-HPLC chromatogram of the aqueous extract namely; quercetin-3-O-β-d-glucosyl-7-O-α-rhamnoside (1), isorhamnetin-7-O-β-neohesperidoside (2), isorhamnetin-3-O-β-d-glucoside (3) kaempferol-4'-methoxy-3,7-O-α-dirhamnoside (4), and isorhamnetin-3-O-α-(4″-acetylrhamnoside)-7-O-α-rhamnoside (5). The inhibitory activities of these compounds were tested in vitro against several enzymes involved in diabetes management. Only the relatively less polar methoxylated flavonol glycosides (4, 5) showed mild to moderate α-amylase and α-glucosidase inhibitory activities. Compounds 1-4 displayed remarkable inhibition of dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPPIV) enzyme (IC50 0.194 ± 0.06, 0.573 ± 0.03, 0.345 ± 0.02 and 0.281 ± 0.05 µg/mL, respectively) comparable to vildagliptin (IC50 0.154 ± 0.02 µg/mL). Moreover, these compounds showed high potential in preventing diabetes complications through inhibiting aldose reductase enzyme and combating oxidative stress. Both isorhamnetin glycoside derivatives (2, 3) exhibited the highest activities in aldose reductase inhibition and compound 2 (IC50 5.45 ± 0.26 µg/mL) was even more potent than standard quercetin (IC50 7.77 ± 0.43 µg/mL). Additionally, these flavonols exerted excellent antioxidant capacities through 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazil (DPPH) and ferric reducing antioxidant (FRAP) assays.

In Vitro Anti-Leishmanial Assessment of Some Medicinal Plants Collected from Al Qassim, Saudi Arabia

PURPOSE

In the present work, a group of nine medicinal plants (Sonchus oleraceus, Echinops spinosissimus, Trichodesma africana, Pergularia tomentosa, Teucrium oliverianum, Blepharis ciliaris, Citrllus colocynthis, Cleome amblyocarpa and Aerva javanica) from eight different families were investigated for their in vitro anti-leishmanial activity against the promastigote and amastigote stages of Leishmania major. L. major is the causative agent of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) which is one of the major health problems in Saudi Arabia and neighboring countries such as Iraq and Iran. However, the commonly available commercial therapeutics still come with multiple unwanted side effects in addition to parasite resistance, so medicinal plants have attracted attention due to their affordability and beneficial effects.

METHODS

The selected plants were collected from Al Qassim region in the middle of Saudi Arabia, and then extracts were prepared with methanol using overnight soaking for the whole plants. RPMI 1640 was used to culture L. major to obtain promastigotes and intramacrophage amastigotes, which were used later for evaluation of extract activity in vitro via spectrophotometric and microscopic techniques. The MTT assay was used for cytotoxic evaluation of plant extracts against macrophage cells. Data were expressed in mean ± SD. Linear regression was used for IC₅₀ and CC₅₀ calculation. T test was used for significant differences at P ≤ 0.05.

RESULTS

All the plants revealed anti-leishmanial activity against the L. major amastigote stage with IC₅₀ values less than 91 µg/mL. The three most potent were T. oliverianum, P. tomentosa and C. amblyocarpa with IC₅₀ values of 7.8, 13.7 and 21.5 µg/mL, respectively. The L. major promastigote stage was more tolerant, so only T. oliverianum extract showed an IC₅₀ less than 30 (26.6 µg/mL). P. tomentosa is the most toxic plant with CC₅₀ 3.1 µg/mL followed by T. africana CC₅₀ 9.5 µg/mL, the other plants possess CC₅₀ over 40 µg/mL. The best SI values were obtained from the C. amblyocarpa and T. oliverianum extracts against the L. major amastigote stages with 5.7 and 5.3, respectively.

CONCLUSION

We can conclude that T. oliverianum, P. tomentosa and C. amblyocarpa are the best anti-leishmanial plants, so further phytochemical studies for isolation of active ingredients are highly recommended.

Selenium cleome droserifolia nanoparticles (Se-CNPs) and it's ameliorative effects in experimentally induced diabetes mellitus

Diabetes mellitus is a group of metabolic disorders with great challenge in its treatment due to its pathological complication. In recent decade, there is extensive use of applying nanotechnology to medicinal plants as a trend in diabetes treatment due to phytochemical constituents. The present study aimed to evaluate the hypoglycemic effect of selenium cleome droserifolia nanoparticles (Se-CNPs) and/or Galvus met® treatment on streptozotocin induced diabetes mellitus in male rats. Fifty male Wistar rats were divided equally into five groups: control group, control diabetic group, diabetic group treated with Se-CNPs, diabetic group treated with Galvus met® and diabetic group treated with Se-CNPs plus Galvus met®. Glucose and insulin levels, Alanine Aminotransferase (ALT) and Aspartate Aminotransferase (AST), Total Cholesterol (TC), Triacylglycerols (TG), High Density Lipoprotein (HDL-c), Very Low Density Lipoprotein cholesterol (VLDL-c), Low Density Lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c) and (NEFAs), urea and creatinine were evaluated. Also, histopathological changes in pancreatic tissue were examined. The results showed significant elevation in serum glucose concentration, ALT and AST activities, TG, LDL-c, VLDL-c and Non Esterified Fatty Acids (NEFAs), urea and creatinine levels while a significant decrease in serum insulin and HDL-c concentration in untreated diabetic rats when compared with control. Meanwhile, daily administration of Se-CNPs and/or Galvus met® to diabetic rats showed significant amelioration of these parameters.

Organic extracts from Cleome droserifolia exhibit effective caspase-dependent anticancer activity

Background

This study investigated the anticancer potential of the medicinal herb, Cleome droserifolia (CD), a local plant of the Arabian Peninsula. C. droserifolia is traditionally known for its rubefacient, anti-diabetic, anti-oxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties.

Methods

Organic fractions of the aerial parts of Cleome droserifolia harvested from the Arabian Peninsula were tested in human breast and cervical cancer cell lines for their anticancer potential. This was accomplished by using biochemical and cellular assays, including MTT, caspase Glo, western blot, and annexin V/propidium iodide-based flow cytometry analyses.

Results

Test of the dichloromethane fraction of the methanolic extract of C. droserifolia, (CDD) revealed potent cytotoxic activity (from 70 to 90%) against several human cancer cell lines, including MCF-7, MDA-MB-231, and HeLa. Further characterization of the CDD fraction in MCF-7 cells revealed that it could activate the enzymatic activity of various caspases in a statistically significant manner, and induce cleavage of both caspase 7 and poly ADB ribose polymerase (PARP) proteins, but not the ethyl acetate fraction. Test of the ability of CDD to induce early signs of apoptosis was validated by annexin V/propidium iodide assay using FACS analysis. Induction of apoptosis was completely reversed by the classic pan inhibitor of apoptosis, Z-VAD-FMK, reducing early apoptosis from 29.7 to 0.6%, confirming that CDD could induce caspase-dependent apoptosis.

Conclusions

Altogether, our results reveal that C. droserifolia is a valuable medicinal plant with bioactive molecules that can induce apoptosis in human cancer cells. Thus, this plant should be explored further for its potential as an anticancer natural therapy as well as the isolation of novel molecules with anticancer properties.

Plant triterpenoid saponins: biosynthesis, in vitro production, and pharmacological relevance

The saponins are a diverse class of natural products, with a broad scale distribution across different plant species. Chemically characterized as triterpenoid glycosides, they posses a 30C oxidosqualene precursor-based aglycone moiety (sapogenin), to which glycosyl residues are subsequently attached to yield the corresponding saponin. Based on the chemically distinct aglycone moieties, broadly, they are divided into triterpenoid saponins (dammaranes, ursanes, oleananes, lupanes, hopanes, etc.) and the sterol glycosides. This review aims to present in detail the biosynthesis patterns of the different aglycones from a common precursor and their glycosylation patterns to yield the functionally active glycoside. The review also presents recent advances in the pharmacological activities of these saponins, particularly as potent anti-neoplastic pharmacophores, antioxidants, or anti-viral/antibacterial agents. Since alternate production pedestals for these pharmacologically important triterpenes via cell and tissue cultures are an attractive option for their sustainable production, recent trends in the variety and scale of in vitro production of plant triterpenoids have also been discussed.

Chemical Characterization of the Hydroethanolic Extract of the Inner Stem Bark of Dilodendron bipinnatum. Comparative Cytotoxic Evaluation and Anti-inflammatory Potential of a Simple Mixture of its Isolates 3-O-β-Glucopyranosyl-β-sitosterol and 3-O-β-Glucopyranosyl-stigmasterol

Phytochemical investigation of the hydroethanolic extract of the inner stem bark of Dilodendron bipinnatum (HEDb) by column chromatography led to the separation of three major fractions: a) a mixture of phytosterols (ST mixture), including β-sitosterol (1), stigmasterol (2) and campesterol (3); b) a mixture of 3- O-β-glucopyranosyl-β-sitosterol (4) and 3- O-β-glucopyranosyl-stigmasterol (5) (SGP mixture); and c) epicatechin (6), as a single isolate. Their structures were determined by spectrometric analysis using 1H- and 13C-NMR spectroscopy, and GC-MS. The safety profile of the SGP mixture, when evaluated on RAW 264.7 cells, using the alamar blue® assay, exhibited no cytotoxic effects. The anti-inflammatory activity was comparatively analyzed in vivo using the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced peritonitis model in mice, showing a strong reduction of leukocyte migration to the peritoneal cavity using both the SGP mixture and the HEDb. In vitro assessment of nitric oxide (NO) in the macrophagic RAW 264.7 cell line showed an inhibition of NO by the SGP mixture when cells were stimulated with LPS. Taken together, the results show an important contribution of the sterol glucoside mixture on the anti-inflammatory activity of HEDb. Also, one of the mechanisms for such inhibition seems to be a direct inhibition of NO production in stimulated macrophages.

Phytochemical Study of the Ecuadorian Species Lepechinia mutica (Benth.) Epling and High Antifungal Activity of Carnosol against Pyricularia oryzae

The plant Lepechinia mutica (Benth.) Epling (family Lamiaceae) is endemic to Ecuador. In the present study, we report some major non-volatile secondary metabolites from the leaves and the chemistry of the essential oil distilled from the flowers. The main identified compounds were carnosol, viridiflorol, ursolic acid, oleanolic acid, chrysothol, and 5-hydroxy-4′,7-dimethoxy flavone. Their structures were determined by X-ray diffraction and NMR and MS techniques. The essential oil showed a chemical composition similar to that distilled from the leaves, but with some qualitative and quantitative differences regarding several minor compounds. The main constituents (>4%) were: δ-3-carene (24.23%), eudesm-7(11)-en-4-ol (13.02%), thujopsan-2-α-ol (11.90%), β-pinene (7.96%), valerianol (5.19%), and co-eluting limonene and β-phellandrene (4.47%). The volatile fraction was also submitted to enantioselective analysis on a β-cyclodextrin column, obtaining the separation and identification of the enantiomers for α-thujene, β-pinene, sabinene, α-phellandrene, limonene and β-phellandrene. Furthermore, the anti-fungal activity of non-volatile secondary metabolites was tested in vitro, with carnosol resulting in being very active against the “blast disease” caused by the fungus Pyricularia oryzae.

Psychotria viridis: Chemical constituents from leaves and biological properties

The phytochemical study of hexane, chloroform and methanol extracts from leaves of Psychotria viridis resulted in the identification of: the pentacyclic triterpenes, ursolic and oleanolic acid; the steroids, 24-methylene-cycloartanol, stigmasterol and β-sitosterol; the glycosylated steroids 3-O-β-D-glucosyl-β-sitosterol and 3-O-β-D-glucosyl-stigmasterol; a polyunsaturated triterpene, squalene; the esters of glycerol, 1-palmitoylglycerol and triacylglycerol; a mixture of long chain hydrocarbons; the aldehyde nonacosanal; the long chain fat acids hentriacontanoic, hexadecanoic and heptadenoic acid; the ester methyl heptadecanoate; the 4-methyl-epi-quinate and two indole alkaloids, N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) and N-methyltryptamine. The chemical structures were determined by means of spectroscopic (IR, 1H and 13C NMR, HSQC, HMBC and NOESY) and spectrometric (CG-MS and LCMS-ESI-ITTOF) methods. The study of biologic properties of P. viridis consisted in the evaluation of the acetylcholinesterase inhibition and cytotoxic activities. The hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate and methanol extracts, the substances 24-methylene-cycloartanol, DMT and a mixture of 3-O-β-D-glucosyl-β-sitosterol and 3-O-β-D-glucosyl-stigmasterol showed cholinesterase inhibiting activity. This activity induced by chloroform and ethyl acetate extracts was higher than 90%. The methanol and ethyl acetate extracts inhibit the growth and/or induce the death of the tumor cells strains B16F10 and 4T1, without damaging the integrity of the normal cells BHK and CHO. DMT also demonstrated a marked activity against tumor cell strains B16F10 and 4T1.

Antioxidant compounds from the stem bark of Garcinia atroviridis

A new xanthone, namely garcinexanthone G (1), along with eight known compounds, stigmasta-5,22-dien-3β-ol (2), stigmasta-5,22-dien-3-O-β-glucopyranoside (3), 3β-acetoxy-11α,12α-epoxyoleanan-28,13β-olide (4), 2,6-dimethoxy-p-benzoquinone (5), 1,3,5-trihydroxy-2-methoxyxanthone (6), 1,3,7-trihydroxyxanthone (7), kaempferol (8) and quercetin (9), were isolated from the stem bark of Garcinia atroviridis. Their structures were elucidated based on spectroscopic methods including nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR-1D and 2D), UV, IR, and mass spectrometry. All the isolated compounds were evaluated for their antioxidant properties based on the DPPH radical scavenging activities. Results showed that 1,3,7-trihydroxyxanthone and quercetin showed significant antioxidant activities with EC50 values of 16.20 and 12.68 μg/ml, respectively, as compared to the control, ascorbic acid (7.4 μg/ml).

Cytotoxicity, mode of action and antibacterial activities of selected Saudi Arabian medicinal plants

Background

The flora of Saudi Arabia is one of the richest biodiversity areas in the Arabian Peninsula and comprises very important genetic resources of crop and medicinal plants. The present study was designed to investigate the cytotoxicity and the antibacterial activities of the organic extracts from twenty six Saudi Arabian medicinal plants. The study was also extended to the investigation of the effects of the extracts from the four best plants, Ononis serrata (SY160), Haplophyllum tuberculatum (SY177), Pulicaria crispa (SY179), and Achillea beiberstenii (SY-200) on cell cycle distribution, apoptosis, caspases activities and mitochondrial function in leukemia CCRF-CEM cell line.

Methods

A resazurin assay was used to assess the cytotoxicity of the extracts on a panel of human cancer cell lines whilst the microbroth dilution was used to determine the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the samples against twelve bacterial strains belonging to four species, Escherichia coli, Enterobacter aerogenes, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Results

The best activity on leukemia cell lines were recorded with SY177 (IC₅₀ of 9.94 μg/mL) and SY179 (IC₅₀ of 1.81 μg/mL) against CCRF-CEM as well as Ach-b (IC₅₀ of 9.30 μg/mL) and SY160 (IC₅₀ of 5.06 μg/mL) against HL60 cells. The extracts from SY177 and SY179 were also toxic against the seven solid cancer cell lines studied with the highest IC₅₀ values of 31.64 μg/mL (SY177 against Hep-G2 cells). SY177 and Ach-b induced cell cycle arrest in G0/G1 and S phases whilst SY160 and SY179 induced arrest in G0/G1 phase. All the four plant extracts induced apoptosis in CCRF-CEM cells with the alteration of the mitochondrial membrane potential. In the antibacterial assays, only Ach-b displayed moderate antibacterial activities against E. coli and E. aerogenes ATCC strains (MIC of 256 μg/mL), AG100A_TeT and K. pneumoniae ATCC strains (MIC of 128 μg/mL).

Conclusions

Finally, the results of the present investigation provided supportive data for the possible use of some Saudi Arabian plants investigated herein, and mostly Haplophyllum tuberculatum, Pulicaria crispa, Ononis serrata and Achillea beiberstenii in the control of cancer diseases.

Pharmacological and phytochemical appraisal of selected medicinal plants from jordan with claimed antidiabetic activities

Plant species have long been regarded as possessing the principal ingredients used in widely disseminated ethnomedical practices. Different surveys showed that medicinal plant species used by the inhabitants of Jordan for the traditional treatment of diabetes are inadequately screened for their therapeutic/preventive potential and phytochemical findings. In this review, traditional herbal medicine pursued indigenously with its methods of preparation and its active constituents are listed. Studies of random screening for selective antidiabetic bioactivity and plausible mechanisms of action of local species, domesticated greens, or wild plants are briefly discussed. Recommended future directives incurring the design and conduct of comprehensive trials are pointed out to validate the usefulness of these active plants or bioactive secondary metabolites either alone or in combination with existing conventional therapies.

Chemical constituents of Caesalpinia decapetala (Roth) Alston

The current study targets the chemical constituents of Caesalpinia decapetala (Roth) Alston and investigates the bioactivities of the isolated compounds. Fourteen known compounds were isolated using column chromatography, and structural identification was performed by physical and spectral analyses. The biological activities of the compounds were also evaluated by 3-(4,5-dimethythiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) and 2,2-diphenlyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assays. Emodin (6), baicalein (9), and apigenin (12) displayed antitumor activities against the MGC-803 cell line, while quercetin (2), rutin (5), baicalein (9), and epicatechin (13) showed stronger DPPH scavenging activities compared with ascorbic acid. Andrographolide (1), quercetin (2), bergenin (4), rutin (5), emodin (6), betulin (7), baicalein (9), polydatin (10), salicin (11), and apigenin (12), were obtained from C. decapetala (Roth) Alston for the first time.

New constituents from the rhizomes of Egyptian Iris germanica L

Chemical investigation of the methanolic extract of the rhizomes of Iris germanica L. (Iridaceae) afforded two new compounds; irigenin S (7) and iriside A (12), together with ten known compounds: stigmasterol (1), a-irone (2), γ-irone (3), 3-hydroxy-5-methoxyacetophenone (4), irilone (5), irisolidone (6), irigenin (8), stigmasterol-3-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (9), irilone 4'-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (10) and iridin (11). Their structures were established by UV, IR, 1D (¹H and ¹³C) and 2D (¹H-¹H COSY, HMQC, and HMBC) NMR spectroscopy, in addition to mass spectroscopic data and comparison with literature data. The methanolic extract was evaluated for its antimicrobial activity. Both the methanolic extract and the isolated flavonoids were tested for their anti-inflammatory activity.

Determination of bioactive markers in Cleome droserifolia using cell-based bioassays for antidiabetic activity and isolation of two novel active compounds

The antidiabetic activities of the aqueous (AqEx) and ethanolic (AlEx) extracts of Cleome droserifolia (Forssk.) Del., were tested in cultured C2C12 skeletal muscle cells and 3T3-L1 adipocytes. An 18-h treatment with the AqEx increased basal glucose uptake by 33% [insulin equivalent (IE)=1.3±0.04] in muscle cells comparable to a 25.5% increase caused by 100 nM insulin (IE=1±0.03). Fractionation of the tested AqEx yielded hexane (HxFr), chloroform (ClFr) and ethyl acetate (EtFr) fractions which exerted 38, 52 and 35% increase in the glucose uptake corresponding to an IE of 1.5±0.06, 2.0±0.04 and 1.4±0.04, respectively. Only the ClFr and EtFr accelerated the triglyceride accumulation [rosiglitazone equivalent (RE) was 0.9±0.13 and 0.63±0.12, respectively] in pre-adipocytes undergoing differentiation comparably with 10 μM rosiglitazone. Six terpenoids (C1-C6) and three flavonol glycosides (F1-F3) were isolated from the active ClFr and EtFr, respectively, and identified. C5, C2 and C4 had an IE of 0.86±0.05, 1.01±0.04 and 0.9±0.08, while F1, F2 and F3 gave an IE of 1.3±0.05, 2.3±0.05 and 2.0±0.04, respectively. We could conclude that the reported antihyperglycemic activity of Cleome droserifolia is attributed to significant insulin-like effects in peripheral tissues, and that compounds F2 and F3, being highly active, could be used as bioactive markers to standardize the C. droserifolia herbal extract.

A new alkaloid and a new diterpene from Cleome paradoxa B.Br. (Cleomaceae)

A new alkaloid, paradoxonine, and its enol tautomer, paradoxenoline, in addition to a new cembranoid diterpene, paradoxenoic acid, were isolated from the chloroformic fraction of the methanolic extract of Cleome paradoxa B.Br. The structures of the isolated compounds were established based on their spectral data, including MS, (1)HNMR, (13)CNMR, COSY, HMBC and HMQC. This is the first report on the isolation of alkaloids from the family Cleomaceae.

Chemical Composition and Antimicrobial Activity of the Essential Oils from Cleome Spinosa

Five different essential oil extractions of the aerial parts of Cleome spinosa Jacq. were examined. The oils obtained by hydrodistillation of the whole aerial parts, aerial parts without flowers (fruit, leaves and stem), flowers, fruits and leaves have been examined by GC-FID and GC-MS. The chemical profiles of the oils reveal the dominance of oxygenated sesqui- and diterpenes, with the exception of the fruit oil, which contained a high content of fatty acids. The most abundant compounds from the whole aerial parts were ( Z)-phytol (31.3%), integerrimine (5.5%) and incensole (4.0%). The major compounds from the aerial portion without flowers were caryophyllene oxide (10.5%), (-)-spathulenol (7.5%) and Z-phytol (6.9%). In the flower oil, the main components were 7-α-hydroxy manool (23.8%), incensole (9.2%) and sclareol (8.7%). The chief constituents in the fruit oil were tetradecanoic acid (40.6%), ( Z)-phytol (6.58%) and sclareol (4.5%). In the leaf oil, ( Z)-phytol (19.5%), 7-α-hydroxy manool (6.8%) and caryophyllene oxide (4.36%) were the predominant compounds. Antimicrobial activity of the oil obtained from the whole aerial part was evaluated against nine microbial strains using a filter paper disc-diffusion method. The volatile oil showed moderate action against seven of the eight bacteria strains used, with significant inhibitory activity against Streptococcus pyogenes Group A when compared with the standard antibiotics, ampicillin and gentamicin. The fungus, Candida albicans was less sensitive to the essential oil. The oils showed moderate insecticidal activity against Cylas formicarius elegantalus, but possessed no antioxidant activity as indicated by the DPPH method. This represents the first report on the chemical composition of the essential oils from C. spinosa found in Jamaica and the in vitro antioxidant, insecticidal and antimicrobial potential of the oil from the aerial parts.

Dolabellane Diterpenes from Cleome Droserifolia

Three diterpenoid dolabellane esters were isolated from Cleome droserifolia. The chemical structures of the isolated compounds were determined by spectral as well as chemical methods. These dolabellanes (I, II and III) are ester derivatives of 3-hydroxy-3-methyl glutaric acid (3-HMGA). Compounds I and II have the second (3HMGA) carboxyl function free, while compound III is the methyl ester of compound I. This is the first report of the isolation of this class of compounds from the genus Cleome and is the first report of the isolation of compound III from a natural source. In addition, eight flavone derivatives were isolated.