Polyphenols antifungal activity

Flavonoids are natural polyphenolic substances widely distributed in the different parts of plants such as fruits, bark, stems, roots, leaves and flowers. Structurally they are characterized by a pyran ring or a similar structure of three carbons. These polyphenolic compounds are well known for displaying a remarkable spectrum of biological activities, including antibacterial and antifungal properties. In the Anthemideae tribe, some of these compounds were isolated by bioassay-guided fractionation, after previously detecting antimicrobial activity on the part of the plant. 

The degradation of lignin and other plant polyphenols releases relatively large quantities of free phenolic acids to the soil. These compounds are potentially important because of their pronounced antifungal and phytotoxic activity. The five most common phenolic acids, all related to the lignins of grasses, conifers and deciduous trees, are / -hydroxybenzoic acid, vanillic acid (26), ferulic acid (27), syringic acid (28), and p-coumaric acid (29). Quantitative studies are rare, but the most abundant... 

---