Antibacterial activity of 1, 2- benzenedicarboxylic acid, dioctyl ester isolated from the ethyl acetate soluble sub-portion of the unripe fruits of Nauclea latifolia

Abstract

A phytochemical and antibacterial study of the ethyl acetate soluble sub-portion of the methanol extract of the unripe fruits of Nauclea latifolia (Family Rubiaceae) its fractions and sub-fractions led to the isolation of 1, 2-benzenedicarboxylic acid, dioctyl ester for the first time from the unripe fruits of the plant. The structure of the viscous golden yellow oil was elucidated using physical, chemical, literature search and spectroscopic identification. The isolated compound (Me2-b1 at 100μg/ml) displayed moderate inhibitory activity against Gram positive organisms tested, similar to that exhibited by chloramphenicol against the organisms. The crude ethyl acetate soluble sub-portion Me, at 50mg/ml exhibited significant broad spectrum activity, while one of its fractions (Me2 at 20mg/ml) and sub-fraction (Me2-b at 20mg/ml) were moderately active against most of the test bacterial strains.