Cassiae semen: A review of its phytochemistry and pharmacology

Dong, Xiaoxv; Fu, Jing; Yin, Xingbin; Yang, Chunjing; Zhang, Xin; Wang, Wenping; Du, Xueying; Wang, Qingling; Ni, Jian

Antibacterial activity. Antibacterial activity, an important effect of Cassiae semen, has been comprehensively investigated. Naphthalenes (compounds 47 and 50) and anthraquinones (compounds 1, 4 and 5) isolated from C. tora seeds exhibited significant antibacterial effects on four strains of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus [minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) was 2-64 µg/ml] and a strain of methicillin-sensitive S. aureus. In addition, rhein (compound 5) and torachrysone (compound 47) from the seeds of C. tora exhibited antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli K12 with MIC values of 512 and 128 µg/ml, respectively (17) . Kim et al (88) were the first to demonstrate that emodin (compound 1) from C. tora seeds has a median lethal dose (LC 50 ) value of 0.102, 0.163, 0.385 and 0.046 g/l against Rhizoctonia solani, Botrytis cinerea, Phytophthora infestans and Erysiphe graminis, respectively, and physcion (compound 3) has an LC 50 value of 0.248, 0.263, 0.518, and 0.073 g/l against R. solani, B. cinerea, P. infestans and E. graminis, respectively. In addition, the LC 50 value of rhein (compound 5) is 0.375, 0.478, and 0.047 g/l against R. solani, B. cinerea and P. infestans, respectively (88) .