The anti-inflammatory and antibacterial activities of Amaryllidaceae alkaloids

In the course of a continued investigation of the alkaloid constituents of the family Amaryllidaceae, 15 Amaryllidaceae alkaloids isolated from Crinum bulbispermum and C. moorei were tested for anti-inflammatory activity using cyclooxygenase assay (COX-1 and COX-2) and antibacterial activity against Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococus aureus, Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae. The alkaloids showed only low inhibitory activity on COX-1 and COX-2. No bacterial growth inhibition was observed at the final concentration of 250mug ml(-1) used in this study.