Antimicrobial Evaluation of the Polyisoprenylated Benzophenones Nemorosone and Guttiferone A

Polyisoprenylated benzophenones have been isolated from plants, particularly in the Clusiaceae family, and their biological properties recently have received considerable attention from a pharmacological point of view. The aim of the study was to investigate the polyisoprenylated benzophenones, nemorosone and guttiferone A, for their antimicrobial effect against a panel of bacteria, fungi and protozoan parasites. They showed a moderate activity against the Gram-positive bacterium Staphylococcus aureus, while no activity was demonstrated against Escherichia coli and the fungi Trichophyton rubrum and Candida albicans. An interesting activity was found for Plasmodium falciparum with IC50 values lower than 1 mu M, while cytotoxicity on MRC-5 cells revealed CC50 values of 15.5 and 12.0 mu M, respectively, for nemorosone and guttiferone A. Copyright (c) 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.