Journal of Ethnopharmacology 103 (2006) 135–138 Anolignan B: A bioactive compound from the roots of Terminalia sericea Ibrahim M.S. Eldeen a , Esameldin E. Elgorashi a , Dulcie A. Mulholland b , Johannes van Staden a,∗ a Research Centre for Plant Growth and Development, School of Biological and Conservation Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal Pietermaritzburg, Private Bag X01, Scottsville 3209, South Africa b School of Chemistry, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Howard College Campus, Durban 4041, South Africa Received 6 April 2005; received in revised form 22 August 2005; accepted 2 September 2005 Available online 27 October 2005 Abstract Antibacterial bioassay-guided fractionation of an ethyl acetate root extract of Terminalia sericea led to the isolation of anolignan B. The isolated compound was further tested for anti-inflammatory activity using the cyclooxygenase enzyme assays (COX-1 and COX-2) and for potential mutagenic effects using the Ames test. In the antibacterial test, anolignan B showed activity against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. The minimum inhibitory concentration values obtained (MIC) ranged from 3.8 g/ml against Bacillus subtilis (Gram-positive) to 31 g/ml against Escherichia coli (Gram-negative). In the anti-inflammatory assays, anolignan B showed activity against both COX-1 (IC 50 = 1.5 mM) and COX-2 (IC 50 = 7.5 mM) enzymes. No potential mutagenic effects were observed in the Salmonella microsome assay (TA98). Isolation of anolignan B from Terminalia sericea as well as the antibacterial and anti-inflammatory activities observed in this study has not been reported previously. © 2005 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved. Keywords: Antibacterial; Anolignan B; Cyclooxygenase inhibition; Combretaceae; Terminalia sericea 1. Introduction Terminalia sericea is a shrub or medium-sized deciduous or semi-deciduous tree found abundantly in the tropical and warm temperate regions and is characteristic of sandy savan- nah areas in Africa (Moshi and Mbwambo, 2005). Dried fruits of Terminalia sericea are used traditionally for the treatment of tuberculosis. A decoction of the root is used for stomach troubles, diarrhoea, wounds, inflammation and sexually trans- mitted diseases (Neuwinger, 1996; Tshikalange et al., 2005; Moshi and Mbwambo, 2005). Both aqueous and organic extracts from leaves, root and bark of Terminalia sericea were previ- ously reported to have antimicrobial activity (Bruneton, 1995; Fyhrquist et al., 2002, 2004). Several pentacyclic triterpenoids have been isolated from Terminalia species, of which sericic acid and a sericoside are the main compounds in the root. How- ever, few published reports have succeeded in isolation of the ∗ Corresponding author. Fax: +27 33 2605897. E-mail address: vanstadenj@ukzn.ac.za (J. van Staden). bioactive compounds (Bombardelli et al., 1974; Steenkamp et al., 2004). The widespread use of Terminalia sericea in indigenous medicine for different ailments, as well as the significant antibac- terial and anti-inflammatory activities exhibited by extracts obtained from roots of Terminalia sericea in our laboratory, jus- tified further attempts to isolate and identify active compound(s). In this paper, isolation steps, identification and evaluation of bio- logical activity of anolignan B are highlighted. 2. Material and methods 2.1. Plant material and extraction Roots of Terminalia sericea Burch. ex. DC (Combretaceae) were collected from the National Botanical Garden Pietermar- itzburg. A voucher specimen (Eldeen 3) was deposited in the Herbarium of The University of KwaZulu-Natal Pietermar- itzburg. The collected material was dried in an oven at 50 ◦ C for 7 days. Dried, powdered root material (327 g) was extracted with ethyl acetate (1.5 l × 3) by sonication for 1 h and then shaken 0378-8741/$ – see front matter © 2005 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.jep.2005.09.005