Antituberculosis agents from 'Prasa Phlai', a Thai traditional medicine

Abstract

'Prasa Phlai' is a drug preparation listed in the Thai traditional common household drug list for relieving dysmenorrhea and adjusting the cycle of menstruation. (E) 4-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)but-3-en-l-yl oleate (compound 1) originated during storage by the interaction of component in Prasa Phlai formula was isolated by preparative HPLC together with (E)-4-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)but- 3-en-l-yl linoleate (compound 2) and (E) 4-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)but-3-en-l-yl palmitate (compound 3). After an investigation into the origin of the artifacts by a systematic preparation of two component mixture and subsequent HPLC analysis, we found that the artifacts come from the mixture of the rhizome of Zingiber cassumunar and the seed of Nigella sativa. These three compounds underwent antituberculosis test and all three compounds were active against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Ra, with compounds 1 and 3 having inhibitory concentration at 200 μg/ml while compound 2 was at 100 μg/ml.