Isolation and antifungal activity of lignans from Myristica fragrans against various plant pathogenic fungi.
BACKGROUND
In a search for plant extracts with potent in vivo antifungal activity against various plant diseases, we found that treatment with a methanol extract of Myristica fragrans Houttyn (nutmeg) seeds reduced the development of various plant diseases. The objectives of the present study were to isolate and determine antifungal substances from My. fragrans and to evaluate their antifungal activities.


RESULTS
Three antifungal lignans were isolated from the methanol extract of My. fragrans seeds and identified as erythro-austrobailignan-6 (EA6), meso-dihydroguaiaretic acid (MDA) and nectandrin-B (NB). In vitro antimicrobial activity of the three lignans varied according to compound and target species. Alternaria alternata, Colletotrichum coccodes, C. gloeosporioides, Magnaporthe grisea, Agrobacterium tumefaciens, Acidovorax konjaci and Burkholderia glumae were relatively sensitive to the three lignans. In vivo, all three compounds effectively suppressed the development of rice blast and wheat leaf rust. In addition, EA6 and NB were highly active against the development of barley powdery mildew and tomato late blight, respectively. Both MDA and NB also moderately inhibited the development of rice sheath blight.


CONCLUSIONS
This is the first study to demonstrate the in vitro and in vivo antifungal activities of the three lignans from My. fragrans against plant pathogenic fungi.
Bio-Control Research Team, Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology, Yusong PO Box 107, Taejon 305-600, Republic of Korea.
Jun Young
JY
Cho
Gyung Ja
GJ
Choi
Seung Wan
SW
Son
Kyoung Soo
KS
Jang
He Kyoung
HK
Lim
Sun Og
SO
Lee
Nack Do
ND
Sung
Kwang Yun
KY
Cho
Jin-Cheol
JC
Kim
D000935:Antifungal Agents / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006139:Guaiacol / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology; D017705:Lignans / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013058:Mass Spectrometry; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D026323:Myristica / Q000737:chemistry*; D010944:Plants / Q000382:microbiology*; D012639:Seeds / Q000737:chemistry
D000935:Antifungal Agents; D017705:Lignans; C524650:erythro-austrobailignan-6; C524653:nectandrin-B; C015816:dihydroguaiaretic acid; D006139:Guaiacol