Cytotoxic and antibacterial activities of compounds isolated from the fruits and stem-bark of Tetrapleura tetraptera (Schumach. & Thonn.) Taub. (Fabaceae)

A new glyceride, 2,3-dihydroxypropyl-31-hydroxyhentriacontanoate (1), a new glucoside stigmasterol derivative, stigmasterol 3-O-β-D-glucopyranoside 6’-hexadecanoate (2) along with eleven known compounds (3-13) were isolated from the fruits and the stem bark of Tetrapleura tetraptera (Schumach. & Thonn.) Taub. using silica gel vacuum liquid and column chromatography. The structures of the isolated compounds were elucidated based on spectroscopic and spectrometry methods including NMR (1D and 2D), high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRESIMS) and comparison with data reported in the literature. The crude extract and the isolated compounds were evaluated for their antibacterial activity against a panel of bacterial strains using the microdilution technique and for their cytotoxic potential on breast cancer cell lines (MCF-7, MDA-MB-231) using doxorubicin as reference medicine. All the tested compounds exhibited significant antibacterial activity against Klebsiella aerogenes and Bacillus subtilis with an MIC value of 18.5 µg/mL. Furthermore, compounds (3) and (9) were active against all bacterial strains with MICs values ranging from 18.5 to 74 µg/mL. Compounds (12-13) and the crude extract were cytotoxic against MDA-MB-231 cells with their CC₅₀ values ranging between 14.5 and 20.0 µg/mL. These results confirm that T. tetraptera is a potential source of antibacterial agents and exhibits selective toxicity against breast cancer cell lines. Apart from compound (3) and compounds (10-12), all the other compounds were isolated from Tetrapleura genus for the first time. Compounds (1), (2), (6), (7) and (8) were also isolated from the Fabaceae family for the first time. [Figure not available: see fulltext.]