Anticancer and Antibacterial Activity of Gallic Acid from Caesalpinia mimosoides Lamk

Cancer and diarrheal diseases are major causes of mortality in developing countries (WHO, 2012). There are limitations to the standard treatments for cancer, especially when treating patients in the advanced stages of the disease (Khan et al., 2002; Thongprasert, 2005). Bacterial foodborne illnesses are also a common problem worldwide, including those caused by Salmonella spp. and Plesiomonas shigelloides. Many antibiotics have been extensively used, leading to increases in drug-resistant bacteria (Collignon 2009; Abatcha et al., 2014). Therefore, alternative therapeutic agents with anticancer and antibacterial activities are needed. Bioactive compounds from plant phytochemicals could be a potential source for effective drugs as well as food supplements and nutraceuticals. Caesalpinia mimosoides Lamk (C. mimosoides Lamk) is an Asian vegetable; the young shoots and leaves are consumed, indicating that plant compounds could be safely used as therapeutics. Extensive experimental works over the past decade have identified beneficial effects of C. mimosoides Lamk related to its antimicrobial activities (Chanwitheesuk et al., 2007; Daduang et al., 2011), antioxidant activities