Callophylum symingtonianum (Guttiferae), an evergreen broad-leaved tree that usually grows in hill forests, can be found distributed in the Malay Peninsula. The barks, leaves, flowers and seeds is often used medicinally to treat diarrhea and rheumatism. In the present study, we isolated two inophyllum type coumarins, 12-O-ethylinophyllum D (1) and iso-soulattrolide (2) from the stembarks of C. symingtonianum together with their antibacterial activity. The compounds were isolated by chromatographic methods on a silica gel. The structures were established by spectroscopic methods including UV, IR, (1D and 2D) NMR and mass spectrometry as well as by comparison with several literature sources. The antibacterial activity of those compounds was tested using a disc-diffusion assay against Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Both compound exhibited mild inhibition against P. aeruginosa with both 111 µg/ml MIC value. Compound 2 also inhibits S. aureus with 25 µg/ml MIC value.
Bacillus cereus ; Calophyllum ; Coumarins ; Diarrhea ; Escherichia coli ; Flowers ; Forests ; Malaysia ; Mass Spectrometry ; Pseudomonas aeruginosa ; Rheumatic Diseases ; Silica Gel ; Staphylococcus aureus ; Trees

Objective: To investigate the crude methanolic extract of whole plant part of Sansevieria roxburghiana Schult. and Schult. f. (Agavaceae) and the possibility of analgesic, cytotoxic and antioxidant activities. Methods: The analgesic activity was assessed by acetic acid induced writhing test in mice. The cytotoxic activity was evaluated by brine shrimp lethality bioassay while antioxidant effect was measured by 1, 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl-hydrate (DPPH) free radical scavenging assay. Results: The ethyl acetate soluble fraction of the crude extract was found to have significant (P<0.001) analgesic activity at the oral dose of 100 mg/kg body weight. In brine shrimp lethality bioassay, the aqueous soluble fraction exhibited maximum toxicity towards the shrimp with LC50 value of 0.735 μg/mL compared to 0.544 μg/mL exhibited by standard vincristine. The crude methanolic extract along with its all partitionates revealed mild to moderate free radical scavenging activity. Conclusions: These primary findings suggest that the extract might possess some chemical constituents that are responsible for analgesic, cytotoxic and antioxidant activities.

Objective: To isolate compounds from K. pinnata and elucidate their structures and to explore preliminary antioxidant, antimicrobial, cytotoxic and thombolytic activities of extractives of the plant. Methods: The methanol extract of whole plant of K. pinnata has been subjected to different chromatographic separation and purification processes to isolate the secondary metabolites. The structures of the isolated compounds have been elucidated by extensive NMR studies. The free radical scavenging activity of the crude extract and its different Kupchan fractions were determined on stable radical DPPH. In vitro antimicrobial activity was determined by the disk diffusion method. Cytotoxicity screening has been performed against Artemia salina. Total phenolics content, membrane stabilizing activity and thombolytic activities were assessed by following established protocol. Results: The isolated compounds were identified as glut-5(6)-en-3-one, taraxerone, 3β-friedelanol, β-amyrin-3-acetate, 3,5,7,3',5'-pentahydroxyflavone and β-sitosterol. The chloroform soluble fraction showed potent antioxidant activity of (IC50=80.0 μg/mL) and significant cytotoxicity, while the crude extract demonstrated noticeable total polyphenol content (149.24 mg of GAE/gm of extractive), moderate membrane stabilizing activity and inhibition of clot lysis of blood. Conclusions: The obtained results rationalize the folkloric use of the plant and can be further investigated to isolate the active compounds responsible for the biological activities.

Background: Kernicterus occurs in infants around the world. This study examined the outcomes of various treatments for neonatal hyperbilirubinemia (NH) used in the Khulna Medical College Hospital in Bangladesh. Methods: All of the jaundiced newborns in the neonatal ward between 2005 and 2008 were included in the study. Total serum bilirubin and fractional levels were measured in all cases, regardless of the degree of jaundice. NH was classified as mild, moderate or severe depending on the bilirubin level; mild NH was treated with a sunbath, moderate NH was treated with phototherapy, and severe NH was treated with exchange transfusion. Results: Of 1981 neonates, 426 (22%) were diagnosed with NH. Physiological jaundice (26.7%) was most common, followed by the jaundice of prematurity (20.9%). Haemolytic jaundice was primarily caused by ABO incompatibility (11.3%) and Rh incompatibility (5.4%). Exchange transfusion (ET) was performed in 22 patients; four (18.2%) died as a result of hazards that could have been avoided with skilled monitoring. Twelve (2.8%) individuals with jaundice died. Kernicterus developed in nine (2.1%) children, four of whom survived with neurological sequelae. Conclusion: ABO incompatibility is twice as common as Rh incompatibility. The majority of kernicterus patients died in the acute phase.