Bioactivity of Some Natural and Semisynthetic Coumarin Derived Compounds

Abstract

A couple of natural coumarins was identified in the seeds of two apples’ cultivars commonly known as Granny Smith and Red Delicious. The effect of the phenolic hydroxyl moieties found in these products was evaluated on the bioactivity. This evaluation included the structural alteration of these moieties into less hydrophilic ones to explore the significance of the parent moieties on the biological activity. The investigated biopotentials were antioxidant, antiproliferative, antibacterial, and antifungal effects. The antioxidant potential was investigated by detecting the ability of the natural and semisynthetic coumarins to trap the free hydroxyl and DPPH radicals. The antiproliferative potential was assessed via an MTT-depended assay versus eight cancerous-cell lines, included HeLa, SK-OV-3, AR42J, MCF-7, AB12, KYSE-30, LC540, and AMN3. The antibacterial potential was tested versus six common pathogenic bacterial strains via a well-defined disc diffusion assay. These pathogens were Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhi, Klebsiella pneumonia, Haemophilus influenzae, Shigella dysenteriae, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The antifungal potential was also screened by utilizing a similar microbiological technique versus three pathogenic fungi, involved Candida albicans, Aspergillus flavus, and Aspergillus niger. It is concluded that the investigated chemical moiety has a positive influence on the antioxidant and antiproliferative potentials of the natural derivatives, and a negative one on their antibacterial and antifungal potentials.