Detection of antifungal activity in Anemarrhena asphodeloides by sensitiveBCT 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 co lumn chromatography and reverse-phase HPLC. The molecular weight was determ ined by CC-MS, and the molecular structure was analyzed by IR, H-1 NMR, and C-13 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 lite rature without any remark on the antifungal activity. This compound showed antimicrobial activity against 38 strains of fungi and five strains of bact eria. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) ranged from 12.5 to 200 mu g mL(-1), except for two strains based on the broth dilution method.