Isolation and Characterization of Four Terpenoidal Compounds with Potential Antimicrobial Activity from Tarconanthus camphorantus L. (Asteraceae)

OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study is to describe the isolation, characterization, and antimicrobial activity of isolated compounds from Tarconanthus camphorantus. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Bioactive compounds such as trifloculoside, parthenolide (sesquiterpene lactones), lupeol, and erythrodiol (pentacyclic triterpens) were isolated from n-hexane extract of T. camphoratus, and their antimicrobial activity against Candida albicans, Escherichia coli, Psuedomonas aeruginosa, Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, and Mycobacterium smegmatis was evaluated. The compounds were characterized using chromatographic and spectroscopic techniques. RESULTS: Trifloculoside, lupeol, and erythrodiol are being reported for the first time from T. camphoratus. The isolated compounds sesquiterpens and lupeol exhibited prodigious antimicrobial activity against B. subtilis and S. aureus with minimum inhibitory concentration values in the range of 25–1000 µg/mL but no activity was observed against other tested organisms, and erythrodiol showed no antimicrobial activity against any of the tested organisms. CONCLUSION: The findings of this study revealed that the new compounds trifloculoside, parthenolide, and lupeol isolated from T. camphoratus exhibited effective antimicrobial potential. It was inferred that T. camphoratus can be effectively used in traditional medicine.