Antimicrobial constituents of Scrophularia deserti

Bioassay-guided isolation of a hexane extract of Scrophularia deserti (Scrophulariaceae) led to the characterisation of a antibacterial hydroxylated fatty acid 1. Compound 1 was active against multidrug and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and rapidly growing mycobacteria with MICs ranging from 32 to 128 μg/ml. A study of the chemistry and antibacterial activity of Scrophularia deserti led to the isolation of eight compounds, including the metabolite 3(ζ)-hydroxy-octadeca-4( E),6( Z)-dienoic acid ( 1). The known compounds ajugoside ( 2), scropolioside B ( 3), 6- O-α- l-rhamnopyranosylcatalpol ( 4), buddlejoside A 8 ( 5), scrospioside A ( 6), laterioside ( 7) and 3 R-1-octan-3-yl-3- O-β- d-glucopyranoside ( 8) were also isolated. Compounds 1– 3 exhibited moderate antibacterial activity against strains of multidrug and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and a panel of rapidly growing mycobacteria with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values ranging from 32 to 128 μg/ml.