Antibacterial Activity of Methyl Gallate Isolated from the Leaves of Toona sureni

Abstract

The phenolic compound has been isolated from the leaves of Toona sureni (Blume) Merr and evaluated against 3 microorganisms, including gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. The structure was determined to be methyl 3,4,5-trihydroxybenzoate (methyl gallate), based on UV-vis, FTIR, NMR and MS spectra. The antibacterial activity of the compound was evaluated using an impregnated paper disk method and compared with that of chloramphenicol. It was effective  on the inactivation of Escherichia coli , Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis. The minimal inhibition concentration (MIC) of the compound was 7.5 mg/mL against  all the test bacteria. These results may be an indication of at least one of the pharmacological actions of the leaves of Toona sureni (Blume) Merr.