Pitsubcosides A–L, highly esterified eudesmane sesquiterpenoid glycosides with antibacterial activity from Pittosporum subulisepalum and their mechanism

Abstract BACKGROUND Plants from the genus Pittosporum are traditionally used as antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral agents. A bioassay evaluation of the extract of Pittosporum subulisepalum revealed antibacterial activity. This study focused on the discovery of the antibacterial metabolism in P. subulisepalum , as well as the modes of action of its active components. RESULTS A chemical investigation of an ethyl acetate (EtOAc) extract of the aerial parts of P. subulisepalum led to the isolation of 12 previously undescribed eudesmane sesquiterpenoid glycoside esters (ESGEs), pitsubcosides A – L ( 1–12 ). Their structures were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic analysis, including one‐ and two‐dimensional NMR, high‐resolution electrospray ionization mass spectrometry, electronic circular dichroism spectra and single‐crystal X‐ray crystallography analysis or by comparing with authentic samples. The new ESGEs were characterized by their highly esterified glycoside moieties. Among them, compounds 1 – 3 , 5 and 8 showed a moderate inhibitory effect against Staphylococcus aureus , methicillin‐resistant S. aureus (MRSA), Bacillus cereus , Bacillus subtilis , Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae ( Psa ) and Erwinia carotovora with minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) ranging from 3.13 to 100 μ m . Among them, compounds 3 and 5 showed remarkable antibacterial activity against S. aureus and Psa with MIC values of 6.25 and 3.13 μ m , respectively. Live bacterial mass and the biofilms of S. aureus and Psa were quantified using methyl tetrazolium and crystal violet assays. Fluorescence microscopy and scanning electron microscopy experiments revealed an antibacterial mechanism of cell membrane architectural disruption. CONCLUSION The results suggest that ESGEs possess great potential for the development of antibacterial agents to control plant pathogens. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.