Nine non-alkaloid constituents viz., sitostenone (1), β-sitosterol (2), naringenin (3), aromadendrin (4), matairesinol (5), vanillic acid (6), ferulic acid (7), protocatechuic acid (8) and sitosterol-3-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (9) were isolated from the acetone extract as well as five alkaloids viz., japindine (10), sarcorucinine D (11), dictyophlebin (12), chonemorphine (13) and N-formylchonemorphine (14) were isolated from the ethanol extract of Chonemorpha fragrans roots. Except β-sitosterol, all other non-alkaloid compounds and the alkaloid sarcorucinine D are being reported for the first time from C. fragrans. From the MIC and MBC values, it has been found that sarcorucinine D shows most promising antibacterial activity. Quantification of antibacterial activity as well as killing curve determinations were performed in order to confirm the efficacy of the compound. The cytotoxic activity studies revealed that it is nontoxic up to 100 µM concentration.
Keywords: Chonemorpha fragrans; alkaloids; antimicrobial activity; japindine; non-alkaloids; sarcorucinine D.