Pharmaceutical Biology

ISSN: 1388-0209 (Print) 1744-5116 (Online) Journal homepage: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/iphb20

Isolation and biological activity of compounds

from Garcinia preussii

Bernadette Biloa Messi, Raimana Ho, Alain Meli Lannang, Delphine

Cressend, Karl Perron, Augustin Ephrem Nkengfack, Pierre-Alain Carrupt,
Kurt Hostettmann & Muriel Cuendet

To cite this article: Bernadette Biloa Messi, Raimana Ho, Alain Meli Lannang, Delphine Cressend,
Karl Perron, Augustin Ephrem Nkengfack, Pierre-Alain Carrupt, Kurt Hostettmann & Muriel Cuendet
(2014) Isolation and biological activity of compounds from Garcinia preussii, Pharmaceutical
Biology, 52:6, 706-711, DOI: 10.3109/13880209.2013.865241

To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.3109/13880209.2013.865241

Published online: 07 Feb 2014.

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 http://informahealthcare.com/phb
ISSN 1388-0209 print/ISSN 1744-5116 online
Editor-in-Chief: John M. Pezzuto
Pharm Biol, 2014; 52(6): 706–711
! 2014 Informa Healthcare USA, Inc. DOI: 10.3109/13880209.2013.865241

ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Isolation and biological activity of compounds from Garcinia preussii

Bernadette Biloa Messi1,2, Raimana Ho2, Alain Meli Lannang3, Delphine Cressend2, Karl Perron4,
Augustin Ephrem Nkengfack1, Pierre-Alain Carrupt2, Kurt Hostettmann2, and Muriel Cuendet2
1
Department of Organic Chemistry, University of Yaoundé I, Yaoundé, Cameroon, 2School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Geneva,
Geneva, Switzerland, 3Department of Chemistry, Higher Teachers’ Training College, University of Maroua, Maroua, Cameroon, and 4Department of
Botany and Plant Biology, Microbiology Unit, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland

Abstract Keywords
Context: Plants of the genus Garcinia (Clusiaceae) are traditionally used to relieve stomachaches, Antimicrobial, antioxidant, benzophenones,
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toothaches, and as a chew stick. Clusiaceae, cytotoxicity

Objective: In order to determine which compounds were responsible for these activities,
a phytochemical investigation of the fruits and leaves of Garcinia preussii Engl. was pursued. History
Materials and methods: Plants were extracted by solvents of various polarities. Compounds
isolation was then carried out using chromatography methods (medium- and high-pressure Received 22 August 2013
liquid chromatography, open column and thin-layer chromatography). The isolated Revised 19 October 2013
compounds were identified and characterized by using 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopies. Accepted 9 November 2013
The antioxidant activity was evaluated using DPPH, ABTS, ALP, and ORAC assays. Published online 6 February 2014
The antimicrobial activity was assayed against Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa,
Staphylococcus aureus, and Enterococcus faecalis by determining the minimum inhibitory
concentration (MIC) value. The cytotoxic activity of most of the isolated compounds was
evaluated on a small panel of human cancer cell lines (DU145, HeLa, HT-29, and A431) using the
XTT method.
Results: The phytochemical investigation of G. preussii led to the isolation of eight known
compounds, six benzophenones and two flavonoids. These compounds were tested for their
biological activities. 1, 2, 3, 4, 7 and 8 demonstrated a high free radical scavenging activity with
ER50 ranging from 0.1 to 0.7. The antimicrobial activity was shown only against Gram-positive
bacteria for 1, 4, and 5. A moderate cytotoxic activity with IC50 ranging from 7 to 50 mM was
observed, except for 6 which was not active.
Conclusion: These results appear to support some of the properties reported for Garcinia
species.

Introduction The course of many diseases such as cancer (Kruk &

Aboul-Enein, 2007), liver disease (Cederbaum et al., 2009),
Plants of the Clusiaceae family are known to be very good
Alzheimers’s disease (Cai & Yan, 2007), and inflammation
sources of natural products with biological properties (Kuete
(Kao et al., 2009) is influenced by oxidative stress. Also,
et al., 2007b). The genus Garcinia belongs to this family and
Gram-positive pathogens are the most common and trouble-
is distributed in tropical Asia, Africa, and Polynesia.
some causes of nosocomial infections in neonatal intensive
It consists of 180 species, of which 21 species are found in
care units (Kocher et al., 2010). Owing to the increased
Cameroon (Guedje et al., 2001). More specifically, Garcinia
incidence of infections caused by these pathogens, the
preussii Engl is traditionally used in Congo (Brazzaville) to
development of novel agents with antibacterial activity is
treat stomachache (Bouquet, 1969). In Ivory Coast, the leaves
requisite. In order to reduce those health hazards, the study of
are taken as a decoction to relieve tooth pain (Visser, 1975).
medicinal plants for their antioxidant, antibacterial, and
Previous phytochemical studies indicated that mostly
cytotoxic activities seems to be an interesting route to find
xanthones (Kuete et al., 2007a), benzophenones (Ahmad
treatment for such diseases and the scientific interest to find
et al., 2010), triterpenes (Chung et al., 1998), flavonoids, and
secondary metabolites remains intact.
biflavonoids (Iwu & Igboko, 1982) were found in the genus
The aim of the present study was to further investigate
Garcinia and they exhibited antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-
compounds from the leaves of G. preussii (Biloa Messi et al.,
inflammatory, and antitumor activities (Hay et al., 2004).
2012), as well as study the chemical composition of the fruits,
and to assess their biological properties, in order to explain
Correspondence: Prof. Muriel Cuendet, School of Pharmaceutical some of the traditional uses of the plant.
Sciences, University of Geneva, Quai Ernest-Ansermet 30, CH-1211
Geneva, Switzerland. Tel: +41 22 379 33 86. Fax: +41 22 379 33 99.
E-mail: Muriel.Cuendet@unige.ch
 DOI: 10.3109/13880209.2013.865241
Materials and methods
Chemicals
Chemicals used were 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazine
(DPPH), 2,20 -azino-bis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic
acid) (ABTS), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), 2,20 -
azobis(2-methylpropionamidine) dihydrochloride (AAPH),
4-methylumbelliferyl phosphate (MUP), p-iodonitrotetrazo-
lium violet (INT), gentamicin, colchicine, and {2,3-bis
(2-methoxy-4-nitro-5-sulfophenyl)-5-[(phenylamino) car-
bonyl]-2H-tetrazolium hydroxide} (XTT). They were
obtained from Sigma-Aldrich (St. Gallen, Switzerland).
General experimental procedures
1D and 2D NMR spectra (1H, 13C, COSY, HSQC, and
HMBC) were recorded in acetone-d6 or methanol-d4 on a
Varian Unity Inova 500 MHz spectrometer (Palo Alto, CA)
with a CapNMR probe from Protasis/MRM and on a Bruker
DRX 500 MHz 1H Larmor frequency using a 5 mm QNP
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direct detection probe. UHPLC/TOF-MS data were recorded
on a Waters Micromass LCT-Premier mass spectrometer with
an electrospray interface (ESI) coupled to an Acquity UHPLC
system (Waters, Milford, MA) with an Acquity BEH C18
UHPLC column (1.7 mm, 100  2.1 mm i.d.; Waters). HRMS
spectra were obtained using electrospray as the ion source,
capillary voltage 2.8 kV, cone voltage 40 V, MCP detector
voltage 2650 V, source temperature 120  C, desolvation
temperature 250  C, cone gas flow 10 L/h, desolvation gas
flow 550 L/h. HPLC-UV-DAD analysis was carried out on a
HP 1100 system equipped with a photodiode array detector
(Agilent technologies, Palo Alto, CA) with a symmetry C18
column (5 mm, 250  4.6 mm i.d.; Waters). The detection was
performed at 210, 254, 280, and 360 nm. Medium pressure
liquid chromatography (MPLC) was performed with a Büchi
681 pump equipped with a Knauer UV detector using a
LiChroprep RP-18 (40–63 mm, 460  50 mm i.d.; Merck,
Darmstadt, Germany). The detection was performed at
254 nm. Column chromatography was carried out using
LiChroprep RP-18 (15–25 mm, Merck) or silica gel 60 (20–
63 mm, Merck). Thin-layer chromatography was performed on
silica gel 60 F254 A1 sheets (Merck).
Plant material
The fruits and leaves of G. preussii were collected in July
2008 at Ngoumé, located in the central part of Cameroon. The
botanical identification was performed by Mr. Nana Victor, a
botanist from the National Herbarium, Yaoundé, Cameroon,
where a voucher specimen is conserved under the reference
number 55520/HNC.
Compound isolation from the fruits of G. preussii
The air-dried powdered fruits (2 kg) were extracted by
maceration with MeOH (3  3 L), for up to 48 h each at
room temperature. After filtration, the MeOH extract was
evaporated to dryness. The residue (310 g) was then dissolved
in 800 mL of water and successively partitioned with hexane
and EtOAc to give 90 g and 70 g, respectively.
A portion of the hexane extract (50 g) was chromato-
graphed over a silica gel column (20–63 mm, 5  60 cm) using
Phytochemical investigation of Garcinia preussii 707
an EtOAc/hexane step gradient (0:100–100:0 in 10% steps) to
afford nine fractions (F1–F9). F1 (900 mg) was purified by
semipreparative HPLC (MeOH/H2O 90:10 þ 0.1% FA,
10 mL/min) to afford garciniagifolone (1, 3 mg,
tR ¼ 7.39 min), garcimultiflorone E (2, 5 mg, tR ¼ 7.29 min),
and garcinialiptone B (3, 3 mg, tR ¼ 6.27 min). F2 (14 g) was
separated by MPLC on LiChroprep RP-18 (40–63 mm,
5  46 cm), with a MeOH/H2O step gradient (60:40–100:0
in 10% steps, 3 mL/min) to afford five subfractions (F21–
F25). This separation yielded garcinol (4, 7 g) from F22.
Further purification of F25 was carried out over a reverse
phase C18 column and separated with gradient mixtures of
MeOH/H2O (80:20–100:0 in 10% steps) to afford nine
fractions (F251–F259). F258 provided 7-epi-clusianone
(5, 250 mg).
Compound isolation from the leaves of G. preussii
The air-dried leaves (5 kg) were extracted by a successive
maceration with acetone (3  5 L) and then methanol
(3  5 L) for 24 h each at room temperature. The methanol
extract (50 g) was submitted to silica gel flash chromatog-
raphy eluted with CH2Cl2/MeOH mixtures of increasing
polarity (100:0, 2 L; 90:10, 2 L; 80:20, 2 L; 0:100, 1 L) which
were collected into 300 mL fractions. Similar fractions were
combined after TLC examination to provide four fractions
(F1–F4). F4 (5 g) was applied to a Sephadex LH-20 column.
Elution with MeOH (5 L) yielded seven fractions (F41–F47).
F41 (30 mg) was repurified by column chromatography over
Sephadex LH-20 (2  40 cm) using MeOH to afford eriodic-
tyol (8, 4 mg). F43 (85.4 mg) was purified on silica gel
column (20–63 mm, 2.5  60 cm) using CH2Cl2/MeOH 90:10
to give garcimangosone (6, 2 mg). F44 (38 mg) was also
purified on a silica gel column (20–63 mm, 2.5  60 cm) using
CH2Cl2/MeOH 90:10 to yield astragalin (7, 5 mg).
Antioxidant assays
DPPH assay
The radical scavenging activity of the compounds was
assessed spectrophotometrically in microplates, as described
previously (Brand-Williams et al., 1995). ER50, the ratio of
compound over radical concentration inducing a 50%
decrease in absorbance after 90 min, was determined with a
dose–response curve.
ABTS assay
The reducing activity of the compounds was assessed
spectrophotometrically in microplates by following the
decolorization of the ABTS radical (67 mM) (Re et al.,
1999). ER50, the ratio of compound over radical concentration
inducing a 50% decrease in absorbance after 90 min, was
determined with a dose–response curve.
ALP assay
The antioxidant activity was assessed by the ability of a
compound to preserve the catalytic effectiveness of the
enzyme ALP (2 mU/mL in glycine buffer) despite the
presence of peroxyl radicals generated by AAPH (5 mM).
This was assessed by following the enzymatic
 708 B. Biloa Messi et al.
dephosphorylation of MUP (20 mM) to the fluorescent
4-methyllumbelliferone. Enzymatic hydrolysis rates of MUP
were determined by a continuous spectrofluorimetric assay
(Bertolini et al., 2007). The percentage of ALP protection by
tested compounds was calculated according to the following
equation, after determining the hydrolytic activity of oxidized
samples (hasample), oxidized controls (haox), and non-oxidized
controls (hanon-ox):
ðhasample  haox Þ
% ALP protection ¼ 100 
ðhanon-ox  haox Þ
The EC50 value, obtained by a dose–response curve, repre-
sents the sample concentration which protects 50% of ALP
enzymatic activity from a peroxyl radical-induced oxidation
after 90 min.
Oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) assay
The ORAC assay was carried out using the same conditions as
the above assay, except that a fluorescein solution at
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6  108 M was used instead of ALP. The fluorescence was
read at lEx 485  20 nm and lEm 528  20 nm to obtain the
fluorescence value of oxidized samples (fluosample) and
oxidized controls (fluoFLox) as well as non-oxidized controls
(fluoFLnon-ox). This last one was calculated by the following
equation:
ðfluosample  fluoFLox Þ
% remaining fluorescein ¼ 100 
ðfluonon-ox  fluoFLox Þ
The EC50 value, obtained by a dose–response curve, repre-
sents the sample concentration which protects 50% of
fluorescein from a peroxyl radical-induced oxidation after
90 min (Huang et al., 2002).
Antimicrobial assay
The bacterial reference strains used in this study, Escherichia
coli (ATCC 25922), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC
27853), Enterococcus faecalis (ATCC 29212), and
Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 29213) were obtained from
the HUG (Geneva University Hospital, Geneva, Switzerland).
Mueller-Hinton broth (MHB, Oxoid, Cambridge, UK) and
Mueller-Hinton agar (MHA, BioMérieux, Balmes-Les-
Grottes, France) were used as liquid and solid media. All
strains were grown for 24 h at 37  C. The minimum inhibitory
concentration (MIC) of the various compounds were
determined by using the broth dilution method in 96-well
microtiter plates as previously described (Wiegand et al.,
2008). The MIC corresponds to the lowest concentration of
the compounds that inhibits visible growth (visual turbidity).
The growth was detected by the reduction of INT into
formazan, a red-purple molecule. The highest dilution of a
compound in which no red-purple color appears corresponds
to its MIC. Gentamicin was used as positive control (Eloff,
1998).
Cytotoxicity assay
DU145 (human prostate carcinoma), HeLa (human cervical
cancer), HT-29 (human colorectal cancer), and A431 (human
epidermoid carcinoma) cell lines were purchased from the
Pharm Biol, 2014; 52(6): 706–711
American Type Culture Collection. All cell lines were
cultured in minimum essential medium (MEM) alpha con-
taining 10% of fetal bovine serum, 100 IU/mL of penicillin G,
and 100 mg/mL of streptomycin and maintained at 37  C in
humidified environment containing 5% of CO2.
The cytotoxicity of compounds was determined with the
above cell lines as described previously (Roehm et al., 1991).
Briefly, cells (in log growth phase) were harvested by
trypsinization, counted, diluted in media, and added to
96-well plates containing test compounds dissolved in
DMSO in triplicate; the final DMSO concentration was
0.05%. The plates were incubated for 3 d. Following the
incubation, cells were stained with the addition of 80 mL of
XTT (1 mg/mL) per well. The absorbance was measured at
450 nm after 3 h incubation at 37  C. The growth of the
compound-treated cells was compared with the growth of
DMSO-treated controls. With each compound, two-fold serial
dilutions were tested in duplicate, with concentrations ranging
above and below the IC50 values. The duplicate tests were
used to construct dose–response curves, and IC50 values (mM)
were determined by linear regression analysis. Results are the
means of at least three independent determinations  SD.
Colchicine was used as positive control.
Results
Chemical investigation of the hexane-soluble extract of the
fruits and methanol-soluble extract of the leaves of G. preussii
resulted in the isolation and characterization of eight known
compounds garciniagifolone (1) (Shan et al., 2012), garci-
multiflorone E (2) (Liu et al., 2010), garcinialiptone B (3)
(Zhang et al., 2010), garcinol (4) (Krishnamurthy et al.,
1981), 7-epi-clusianone (5) (Piccinelli et al., 2005), garci-
mangosone (6) (Huang et al., 2001), astragalin (7)
(Nakabayashi, 1955) and eriodictyol (8) (Hussain &
Waterman, 1982) (Figure 1). Each constituent was identified
on the basis of its 1H-NMR spectra and HR-MS analysis by
comparison with the literature. The antioxidant activity of
compounds 1–8 was evaluated and compared to quercetin
(Table 1). The antibacterial activity of each isolated com-
pound was evaluated against four bacterial strains and showed
activity only against Gram-positive bacteria. The MIC is
shown in Table 2. Benzophenones 1–6 were also screened for
their cytotoxic activity in DU145, HeLa, HT-29, and A431
cell lines (Table 3).
Discussion
Species of the genus Garcinia are frequently used in African
and Asian traditional medicine. They contain high levels of
phenolic compounds that are reported to possess exciting
biological properties. Despite the number of published studies
on various Garcinia species, some plants of this genus have
not been extensively studied from the chemical and pharma-
cological point of view. In order to explain some of the
traditional use of G. preussii extracts, their antioxidant,
antibacterial, and cytotoxic activities were measured. Active
extracts were then fractionated to give eight pure compounds
that were submitted to the various tests.
Compound 4 was as potent as quercetin at scavenging the
DPPH and ABTS– radicals and was slightly less active than
 DOI: 10.3109/13880209.2013.865241 Phytochemical investigation of Garcinia preussii 709
Figure 1. Structures of compounds 1–8. 37
32 35
33 7 38 OH
30 O
1 O 3 HO O O H
9
31 O 5 O
23 OH
18 HO O OH
20 H
1 2 OH
22 26 25

OH OH
HO O HO O O
O

O OH
O O
4
3
OH
HO OH
Downloaded by [112.215.235.244] at 06:53 01 November 2017

O
O O OH

O
OH
O OH

5
O OH
6
OH
OH OH
HO
HO O HO O
O
OH
O OH
OH O HO
OH O
7 8

Table 1. Activities of compounds 1–8 in DPPH, ABTS, ALP, and Table 2. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of
ORAC assays. compounds 1–8.

DPPH ABTS ALP ORAC MIC (mg/mL)

Compounds (ER50) (ER50) (EC50 mM) (EC50 mM)
Compounds S. aureus E. faecalis
1 0.20  0.03 0.19  0.02 9.72  2.40 6.04  0.36
2 0.21  0.02 0.20  0.01 8.23  1.23 5.72  0.40 1 64 128
3 0.45  0.11 0.29  0.02 5.22  1.72 7.57  0.17 2 4128 128
4 0.11  0.01 0.09  0.01 nd 3.24  0.28 3 4128 128
6 41 41 9.31  2.70 23.1  2.10 4 16 16
7 41 0.70  0.03 2.30  0.25 2.96  0.27 5 2 2
8 0.62  0.03 0.65  0.03 4.53  0.71 4.75  0.46 6 4128 4128
Quercetin 0.09  0.01 0.07  0.01 1.00  0.07 1.66  0.07 7 4128 4128
8 4128 4128
Results are the means of at least three independent determinations  SD. Gentamicin 1 16
ER50: concentration inducing a 50% decrease in absorbance after
90 min. nd, not determined. Results are based on at least three independent
determinations.

the positive control in the ORAC assay. Its activity in the ALP
assay could not be determined as it is an inhibitor of this
phosphatase at concentrations higher than 105 M. The
antioxidant activity of compounds 1, 2, and 3 was lower
than that of quercetin, but these entities had no selectivity as
they were active in the four assays used. The antioxidant
activity of compounds 1, 2, 3 and 4 can be explained by the
conjugated catechol moiety on the structure. Compounds 7
and 8 were protectors of the ALP protein and of fluorescein
against peroxyl-radical-induced oxidation. The similar
potency in the ALP and ORAC assays points out that these
compounds do not interact with the protein. Unlike them,
 710 B. Biloa Messi et al.
Table 3. Cytotoxicity (IC50 in mM) of isolated benzophenones (1–6) in human cancer cell lines.
Compounds DU145 HeLa
1 7.7  1.4 14.6  7.2
2 14.5  3.2 21.0  5.9
3 11.5  2.0 13.0  3.7
4 14.9  0.8 16.4  4.0
5 33.4  5.2 49.5  15.1
6 4150 4150
Colchicine 0.0230  0.0008 0.0060  0.0014
Compounds were evaluated for cytotoxicity by standard procedures as described in the Experimental section. The following cultured
human cell lines were employed: DU145 (prostate carcinoma), HeLa (cervical cancer), HT-29 (colorectal cancer), and A431
(epidermoid carcinoma). Results are shown as IC50 values (mM) and are the means of at least three independent determinations  SD.
compound 6 exhibited a weak ALP-protective activity only.
This capacity might be due to a protein binding because of the
hydrogen atom donors and acceptors containing scaffold.
Compound 5 did not show any antioxidant capacity in the four
assays performed since its structure does not enable reducing
activity.
Downloaded by [112.215.235.244] at 06:53 01 November 2017
None of the compounds showed activity against the two
Gram-negative bacteria tested, E. coli and P. aeruginosa.
However, compounds 4 and 5 displayed a good antibacterial
activity against the Gram-positive bacteria S. aureus and
E. faecalis. Compound 4 is already known to fight methicil-
lin-resistant S. aureus and might be an alternative for classical
antibiotic treatments (Iinuma et al., 1996). The MIC value of
16 mg/mL for S. aureus was identical to the value previously
obtained with compound 4 purified from Garcinia bancana
(Rukachaisirikul et al., 2005). Compound 5 exhibited a strong
antibacterial activity with a MIC of 2 mg/mL against both
S. aureus and E. faecalis. This compound has also been
previously shown to be a promising compound for the
treatment of multidrug-resistant S. aureus infections
(Xiao et al., 2007). In addition, compound 5 has recently
been proposed for the prevention or treatment of cavities
since it affects the biofilm formation and the acid tolerance to
the cariogenic Gram-positive bacterium Streptococcus mutans
(Almeida et al., 2008). The mechanism of action of these
compounds on bacteria is not known. However, due to their
specificity for Gram-positive bacteria, the effect seems to be
related to the characteristics of the cell envelope. Gram-
positive bacteria include important pathogens, known to be a
leading cause of infectious diseases. They represent the most
common and troublesome causes of nosocomial infections in
neonatal intensive care units (Kocher et al., 2010). The
increasing occurrence of bacteria resistant to antibiotics
represents a serious threat for the treatment of infectious
diseases. The discovery and development of novel agents with
antibacterial activity is, therefore, needed.
The benzophenones 1–4 displayed almost the same
cytotoxic activity in each cell line tested (DU145, HeLa,
HT-29, and A431) with IC50 values around 10 mM.
Compound 5 was about three-times less active. This might
be due to the lack of a catechol group. Among the
benzophenones tested, 6 did not show cytotoxic activity
against any of the cell lines (IC504150 mM). It might be due
to structural differences, as compound 6 does not have the
bicyclo [3.2] nonane system, as the other isolated benzophe-
nones have. Benzophenones with a bicyclo [3.2] nonane
Pharm Biol, 2014; 52(6): 706–711
HT-29 A431
7.4  0.2 9.9  2.0
15.9  4.1 17.1  3.5
14.0  3.0 11.0  3.5
16.1  3.7 9.9  1.0
32.6  1.7 38.2  1.1
4150 4150
0.0140  0.0021 0.0060  0.0003
system have been widely studied for their biological
properties.
Conclusion
Medical plants play an important role in the management of
bacterial infections, oxidative stress, and cancer, especially in
developing countries where resources are meager. The results
obtained can justify some of the traditional uses of this plant.
Additionally, this study shows that G. preussi is a natural
potential source of antioxidant compounds. Finally, the
isolated benzophenones are expected to be useful for the
study of anticancer agents in the future. However, the safety
and toxicity of these compounds need to be investigated.
Furthermore, those results are consistent with previous
reports on the antioxidant, antimicrobial, and cytotoxic
activities of phenolic compounds isolated from Garcinia
species (Arif et al., 2009; Matsumoto et al., 2003; Tanaka
et al., 2000; Yamaguchi et al., 2000)
Acknowledgements
The authors are grateful to Dr. L. Marcourt for her help with
the NMR data. Bernadette Biloa Messi gratefully acknow-
ledges the Ministry of Higher Education of Cameroon
(MINESUP) and the Swiss Confederation for her fellowship.
The authors would like to thank the Swiss National
Science Foundation (Grant no. 200020-107775/1 to Prof.
K. Hostettmann) and the Alfred and Alice Lachmann
Nutrition Fund (Grant to Prof. M. Cuendet) for financial
support of this work.
Declaration of interest
The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone
are responsible for the content and writing of the manuscript.
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