Identification of Anti-Wood Rot Compounds in Teak (Tectona grandis L.f.) Sawdust Extract

Abstract

The tropical hardwood sawdust of Tectona grandis L.f. from the wood processing industry was extracted and tested for anti-wood rot activity. Tectona grandis extract inhibited the brown rot fungi Gloeophyllum sepiarium, Gloeophyllum trabeum, Piptoporus betulinus and Serpula lacrymans, and the white rot fungi Bjerkandera adusta, Merulius tremellosus, and Phlebia brevispora. Centrifugal partition chromatography was used to separate these compounds using n-hexane-MeOH-H₂O (50:47.5:2.5) as a solvent system. The compounds deoxylapachol, tectoquinone, 2-hydroxymethylanthraquinone, 3′-OH-deoxyisolapachol (2-[(1E)-3-hydroxy-3-methylbut-1-enyl]naphthoquinone), hemitectol (2,2-dimethyl-2H-benzo[h]chromen-6-ol), and tectol were isolated from Tectona grandis sawdust CHCl₃-MeOH (1:1) extract. Deoxylapachol inhibited the brown rot fungi Gloeophyllum sepiarium CBS 353.74 and Gloeophyllum trabeum CBS 318.50 and the white rot fungi Merulius tremellosus CBS 280.73 and Phlebia brevispora CBS 509.92. Hemitectol together with tectol showed a high percentage of cellulase inhibition followed by 3′-OH-deoxyisolapachol and deoxylapachol.

Keywords:

• Tectona grandis
• wood rot
• brown rot fungi
• white rot fungi
• cellulase
• tropical hard wood
• deoxylapachol
• tectol

Notes

*TLC plate were developed with CHCl₃-MeOH (19:1)

**TLC plate were developed with petroleum ether-acetone-acetic acid (75:25:1.5);—, data not shown