title: Antibacterial activity of crude extracts from Mexican medicinal plants and purified coumarins and xanthones.
abstract: Thirty-two extracts from 22 Mexican medicinal plants of 15 different families were assayed to determine their antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. Seventeen plants showed antibacterial activity, while five plants showed no activity against both bacteria. All of the extracts showed higher activity against Staphylococcus aureus (methicillin-sensitive and methicillin-resistant) than against Escherichia coli, except one. Among the plants examined, Bursera simaruba (L.) Sarg. (Burseraceae), Haematoxylum brasiletto H. Karst. (Fabaceae), Calophyllum brasiliense Cambess. (Clusiaceae), and Mammea americana L. (Clusiaceae) were highly active against Staphylococcus aureus. Coumarins (mammea A/BA and mammea A/AA) and xanthones, namely jacareubin and 1,3,5,6-tetrahydroxy-2-(3,3-dimethylallyl) xanthone, were isolated as the principle compounds from the last two plants.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, Fukuoka University, Nanakuma, Jonan-ku, Fukuoka 814-0180, Japan. kakuko@fukuoka-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Kakuko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yasunaka
authors.forename: Fumiko
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Abe
authors.forename: Ariaki
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nagayama
authors.forename: Hikaru
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Okabe
authors.forename: Lucio
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lozada-Pérez
authors.forename: Edith
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: López-Villafranco
authors.forename: Elizabeth Estrada
authors.initials: EE
authors.lastname: Muñiz
authors.forename: Abigail
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Aguilar
authors.forename: Ricardo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Reyes-Chilpa
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000494:pharmacology; D003374:Coumarins / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000494:pharmacology; D020834:Ethnopharmacology; D006090:Gram-Negative Bacteria / Q000187:drug effects; D006094:Gram-Positive Bacteria / Q000187:drug effects; D008519:Medicine, Traditional; D008800:Mexico; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000494:pharmacology; D010946:Plants, Medicinal; D044004:Xanthones / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D003374:Coumarins; D010936:Plant Extracts; D044004:Xanthones