The dichloromethane extract prepared from the underground parts of
Eleutherine bulbosa
(Miller) Urban (Iridaceae) showed strong activity in the direct bioautography assay with the phytopathogenic fungus
Cladosporium sphaerospermum
. This assay was used to guide the fractionation of this extract and allowed the isolation of four compounds: the new naphthoquinone eleutherinone [8-methoxy-1-methyl-1,3-dihydro-naphtho(2,3-c)furan-4,9 -dione] and the known compounds, previously isolated from this species, eleutherin [9-methoxy-1(R),3(S)-dimethyl-3,4-dihydro-1H-benzo(g)isochromene-5,10-dione], isoeleutherin [9-methoxy-1(R),3(R)-dimethyl-3,4-dihydro-1H-benzo(g)isochromene-5,10-dione], and eleutherol [4-hydroxy-5-methoxy-3(R)-methyl-3H-naphtho(2,3-c)furan-1 -one]. All quinonoid compounds showed strong antifungal activity in the bioautography assay at 100 μg/spot, while eleutherol was inactive.
