Detection of antifungal activity in Anemarrhena asphodeloides by sensitive BCT method and isolation of its active compound

Antifungal activity was detected from Anemarrhena asphodeloides by the Bio-Cell Tracer (BCT) method. An active fraction was separated by silica gel column chromatography and reverse-phase HPLC. The molecular weight was determined by GC-MS, and the molecular structure was analyzed by IR, (1)H NMR, and (13)C NMR. The isolated compound was found to be identical to nyasol, (Z)-1, 3-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)-1,4-pentadiene, which formerly appeared in the literature without any remark on the antifungal activity. This compound showed antimicrobial activity against 38 strains of fungi and five strains of bacteria. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) ranged from 12.5 to 200 microg mL(-)(1), except for two strains based on the broth dilution method.