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Qualitative screening of multiclass secondary metabolites present in the fruits, leaves and stem bark extracts of Garcinia travancorica was carried out using HPLC-QTOF-MS analysis. Twenty-three compounds were identified in the fruits, leaves and stem bark; including two acids (hydroxycitric acid and hydroxycitric acid lactone), eight biflavonoids (morelloflavone, GB-1, GB-la, GB-2, GB-2a, fukugiside, xanthochymusside and GB-la glucoside), nine xanthones (α-mangostin, γ-mangostin, 1,5-dihydroxy-3-methoxyxanthone, garciniaxanthone E, 4-(I,1-dimethylprop-2-enyl)-1,3,5,8-tetrahydroxy-xanthone, garcinone A, garcinone B, garcinone C and polyanxanthone C) and four polyisoprenylated benzophenones (gambogenone, aristophenone A, garcinol and garciyunnanin A). Cytotoxicity studies of the major biflavonoid fukugiside reported from G. travancorica leaves revealed a dose-dependent cancer cell growth inhibition in A431 and HeLa cells. The antiproliferative effect appears to be due to the ability of fukugiside to induce S-phase arrest and apoptotic cell death. In HeLa cells, fukugiside reduced the expression of MAPKp38 by 26.1% compared with untreated control.

The essential oil compositions of the rhizomes of Cyperus conglomeratus (Cyperaceae) collected from Oman and the leaves of two Annonaceae plants, Desmos chinensis var. lawii and Cyathocalyx zeylanicus collected from India were studied by GC, GC-MS and 13C NMR spectroscopy. Twenty-six compounds, representing 84.4% of the oil were identified in C. conglomeratus, where eugenol (31.3%), alpha-cyperone (10.5%) and cyperotundone (8.4%) were the major compounds. Twelve compounds, constituting 100%, were identified in D. lawii oil, of which benzyl benzoate (58.7%), beta-caryophyllene (23.2%), limonene (4.9%) and alpha-humulene (4.0%) were the major constituents. Thirty-two compounds, comprising 98.0%, were identified in C. zeylanicus oil, of which beta-caryophyllene (21.6%), alpha-pinene (20.4%) and E-beta-ocimene (11.8%) were the major components. The antibacterial and antifungal activities of the oils were tested against a panel of five bacterial and two fungal strains. The oils showed moderate activity against all the tested microbial strains. The minimum inhibitory concentrations of the oils were also determined.