Quick identification of kuraridin, a noncytotoxic anti-MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) agent from Sophora flavescens using high-speed counter-current chromatography

Ben Chung Lap Chan, Hua Yu, Chun Wai Wong, Sau Lai Lui, Claude Jolivalt, Carine Ganem-Elbaz, Jean Marc Paris, Barbara Morleo, Marc Litaudon, Clara Bik San Lau, Margaret Ip, Kwok Pui Fung, Ping Chung Leung, Simon Q B Han*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articlepeer-review

23 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Bacterial resistance to antibiotics has become a serious problem of public health that concerns almost all currently used antibacterial agents and that manifests in all fields of their application. To find more antibacterial agents from natural resources is all the time considered as an important strategy. Sophora flavescens is a popularly used antibacterial herb in Chinese Medicine, from which prenylated flavones were reported as the antibacterial ingredients but with a major concern of toxicity. In our screening on the antibacterial activities of various chemicals of this herb, 18 fractions were obtained from 8. g of 50% ethanol extract on a preparative high-speed counter-current chromatography (HSCCC, 1000. ml). The system of n-hexane/ethyl acetate/methanol/water (1:1:1:1) was used as the two-phase separation solvent. A chalcone named kuraridin was isolated from the best anti-MRSA fraction, together with sophoraflavanone G, a known active ingredient of S. flavescens. Their structures were elucidated by analysis of the NMR spectra. Both compounds exhibited significant anti-MRSA effects, compared to baicalein that is a well known anti-MRSA natural product. More important, kuraridin showed no toxicity on human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) at the concentration up to 64. μg/ml while sophoraflavanone G inhibited over 50% of cellular activity at 4. μg/ml or higher concentration. These data suggested that opening of ring A of the prenylated flavones might decrease the toxicity and remain the anti-MRSA effect, from a viewpoint of structure-activity relationship.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)157-162
Number of pages6
JournalJournal of Chromatography B: Analytical Technologies in the Biomedical and Life Sciences
Volume880
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jan 2012

Scopus Subject Areas

  • Analytical Chemistry
  • Biochemistry
  • Clinical Biochemistry
  • Cell Biology

User-Defined Keywords

  • Antibacteria
  • High-speed counter-current chromatography
  • Kuraridin
  • MRSA
  • Sophora flavescens

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