Antibacterial activity of prenylated benzopyrans from (Piperaceae).

is a herbaceous perennial plant native to the Americas reported as a traditional medicine to treat snake bites and as a skin cleanser. The bioassay-guided fractionation of crude extracts from aerial parts of against a panel of clinically important fungi and bacteria, showed that hexane and dichloromethane extracts demonstrated selective bacterial inhibition, allowing the isolation of the known compounds peperobtusin A (), and 3,4-dihydro-5-hydroxy-2,7-dimethyl-8-(3"-methyl-2"-butenyl)-2-(4'-methyl-1',3'-pentadienyl)-2H-1-benzopyran-6-carboxylic acid () from dichloromethane extract. Compound was active against Gram-positive bacteria including community acquired methicillin-resistant (CA-MRSA) isolates and an vancomycin-resistant strain, with minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) values of 4 μg/mL (10.