1Instituto de Ecología, UNAM. Ciudad Universitaria. AP 70-275. México, 04510, México.
2Dept. of Botany & Plant Sciences. Riverside, CA 92521-0124, USA.
3 Facultad de Química, UNAM. Ciudad Universitaria. México, 04510, México.
The study of the biological activity of metabolites of natural origin is a matter of great importance for the discovery of new potential drugs and agrochemicals. This research area i s also primary for the management of natural resources and the conservation of the different ecosystems in all the Earth. Natural bioactive metabolites are the potential solutions to many health and agricultural production problems. In the present study, the phytotoxic effect of organic extracts, chromatographic fractions, and pure compounds from Callicarpa acuminata (Verbenaceae) were investigated. Leaves and stems of C. acuminata were collected at El Eden Ecological Reserve, Quintana Roo, Mexico. A biodirected fractionation study of this plant was made using the germination and radicle growth tests on Amaranthus hypochondriacus (Amaranthaceae), Echinochloa crusgalli (Poaceae), and Lycopersicon esculentum (Solanaceae). Chloroform-methanol extract of C. acuminata aerial parts was fractionated in an open chromatography column Similar fractions were pooled using thin layer chromatography (TLC) to obtain 19 fractions. Fraction O, produced a significant inhibitory effect on radicle growth of the three test species (54%, 70%, and 40% respectively). The chemical structure of the phytotoxic compound from fraction O was determined based on IR, MS, NMR H1, and NMR C13 analysis.