Isolation and Characterization of an Anti-Acne Compound from Callicarpa americana L. Leaves Restricted; Files Only

Abstract

Acne vulgaris affects approximately 9.4% of the global population and presents significant treatment challenges due to increasing antibiotic resistance in Cutibacterium acnes. This study investigates the antimicrobial potential of Callicarpa americana L. (American Beautyberry), a plant documented in ethnobotany, as a source of novel compounds against C. acnes. Dried leaf material was extracted with ethanol and subjected to bioassay-guided fractionation through liquid-liquid partitioning, flash chromatography, and reverse-phase HPLC. Bioactive fraction 2793C-F2, which had been previously identified but not further investigated due to its lower yield, was purified to obtain fraction 2793C-F2-PF10-PF3, which maintained potent activity against C. acnes with an MIC of 16 μg/mL. Structure elucidation through LC-MS and 1H NMR spectroscopy revealed a clerodane diterpene with molecular formula C₂₀H₃₀O₃, potentially representing a novel compound based on literature comparison with known Callicarpa constituents. This research demonstrates the continuing value of ethnobotanically-guided natural products research in addressing antimicrobial resistance challenges, especially for C. acnes, where resistance to conventional antibiotics is increasing.

Table of Contents

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

1.1 Acne vulgaris

1.2 Current Treatments for Acne Vulgaris

1.3 Antibiotic Resistance of C. acnes

1.5 Ethnobotany and Traditional Medicine in Drug Discovery

1.6 Ethnobotanical History and Recent Antimicrobial Investigations of Callicarpa americana

1.7 Chemical Constituents and Bioactive Compounds of Callicarpa americana L.

1.8 Project Aims

CHAPTER 2: METHODS

2.1 Plant Collection

2.3 Partitioning

2.5 Reverse-Phase and Analytical High Performance Liquid Chromatography

2.6 Bacterial culturing, Growth Inhibition Testing, and Dose Response Assay

2.7 Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry

2.8 1H NMR

CHAPTER 3: RESULTS

3.1 Extraction of 2793 from Callicarpa americana L.

3.2 Flash Chromatography

3.3 Analytical and Reverse-Phase HPLC

3.4 Growth Inhibition Dose Response Assays

3.5 Structure Identification

CHAPTER 4: DISCUSSION

4.1 Conclusions

4.2 Future Directions

REFERENCES

 

About this Honors Thesis

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School	Emory College
Department	Chemistry
Degree	B.S.
Submission	Honors Thesis
Language	English
Research Field	Chemistry, Organic Biology, Botany Biology, Microbiology
Keyword	Cutbacterium acnes Callicarpa americana L.
Committee Chair / Thesis Advisor	Cassandra Quave, Emory University
Committee Members	Mingji Dai, Emory University Kathleen Campbell, Emory University

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