Chemical constituents, Antibacterial and Acetylcholine esterase inhibitory activity of Cupressus macrocarpa leaves.

The chemical constituents of Cupressus macrocarpa were investigated. A new neolignan glycoside (1) in addition to nine known compounds were isolated. The acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitory activity and antibacterial activity against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) of different fractions and isolates of C. macrocarpa were evaluated. The light petroleum fraction showed the highest activity in both assays with IC50 value of 88.79 µg/ml and 152.58 µg/ml for the AChE inhibitory activity and MRSA antibacterial activities, respectively. Weak to moderate activity were detected for the isolated compounds.