Amino acid-sesquiterpene lactone conjugates from the aerial parts of Centaurea pungens and evaluation of their antimicrobial activity.

Two new amino acid-sesquiterpene lactone conjugates, named centaureolide A (1) and centaureolide B (2) along with a germacrane derivative (3), five flavonoids (4-8) and one quinic acid derivative (9) have been isolated from the aerial parts of Centaurea pungens (Asteraceae). Their structures were established by a combination of one- and two-dimensional NMR techniques, and mass spectrometry. The never reported sesquiterpene lactones have been determined as germacrane derivatives (1 and 2) characterized by the unusual occurrence of a proline moiety. In order to validate the use of the extract of C. pungens in folk medicine, the antimicrobial activity of the isolated compounds against the Gram-positive strains Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus and Listeria innocua and the Gram-negative strains Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Pseudomonas fragi was evaluated.