Palladium-catalysed synthesis of arylnaphthoquinones as antiprotozoal and antimycobacterial agents.

Malaria and tuberculosis are still among the leading causes of death in low-income countries. The 1,4-naphthoquinone (NQ) scaffold can be found in a variety of anti-infective agents. Herein, we report an optimised, high yield process for the preparation of various 2-arylnaphthoquinones by a palladium-catalysed Suzuki reaction.

Phenolic compounds of Iris adriatica and their antimycobacterial effects.

Little is known about the pharmacological activities of Iris adriatica (Iridaceae), a plant endemic to Dalmatia (Croatia). We therefore performed a bioassay-guided fractionation including high-performance counter current chromatography (HPCCC) and antibacterial tests using Mycobacterium smegmatis mc2 155. One obtained fraction was found to be antimycobacterially active with a MIC of 64 mg L-1.