Cytotoxicity and antibacterial studies of iridoids and phenolic compounds isolated from the latex of Himatanthus sucuuba

Abstract

The latex of Himatanthus sucuuba (Spruce) Woodson, used popularly in the Amazon for the treatment of tumors, gastritis, inflammations and infections, was evaluated for cytotoxicity and antibacterial activities. The iridoid lactones, plumericin and isoplumericin were isolated from latex by bioassay fractionation and were found to be associated with DNA damage. Gallic acid exhibited the highest antimicrobial activity among the phenolic compounds isolated from the aqueous fraction. The compounds associated to cytotoxicity and antimicrobial activities could be responsible to the effects of this species used in traditional medicine.

Key words: Himatanthus sucuuba, iridoids, phenolics, cytotoxicity, antibacterial.