Volatile components of selected liverworts, and cytotoxic, radical scavenging and antimicrobial activities of their crude extracts.

Crude extracts of the Tahitian liverworts Mastigophora diclados and Frullania sp., the Indonesian Frullania sp., Dumortiera hirsuta and Marchantia sp., and the Japanese Porella perrottetiana were investigated chemically by using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). All extracts contained various volatile sesqui- and diterpenoids and a few aromatic compounds. The Tahitian M. diclados and Frullania sp., and the Indonesian Frullania sp. exhibited cytotoxic activity against HL-60 and KB cell lines. The extracts of the Tahitian M. diclados and the Indonesian Marchantia sp. showed radical scavenging activity, whereas the crude extracts of the Tahitian M. diclados and Frullania sp., and the Indonesian Frullania and Marchantia sp. showed antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis.