Antibacterial Nerol Cinnamates from the Australian Plant <i>Eremophila longifolia</i>

Two new antimicrobial agents, neryl ferulate (<b>1</b>) and neryl <i>p</i>-coumarate (<b>2</b>), were identified using bioassay-guided isolation from the leaves of <i>Eremophila longifolia</i>, which is a medicinal plant used by some Australian Aboriginal communities. Although gradual autoxidation of the nerol subunit hindered the initial attempts to purify and characterize <b>1</b> and <b>2</b>, it was found that the autoxidation could be stopped through storage under argon at −20 °C. Biological evaluation showed that neryl ferulate (<b>1</b>) had moderate activity against various Gram-positive bacteria, while neryl <i>p</i>-coumarate (<b>2</b>) was active only against <i>Enterococcus faecium</i>.