Aim: Eight coumarin derivatives (1a–h) obtained from natural (-)-mammea A/BB (1) and 13 synthetic coumarins (2–14) had their cytotoxicity and biological activity evaluated against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H₃₇Rv reference strain and multidrug-resistant clinical isolates. Materials & methods: Anti- M. tuberculosis activity was evaluated by resazurin microtiter assay plate, and the cytotoxicity of natural and synthetic products using J774A.1 macrophages by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide. Results: Compounds 1g, 5, 6, 12 and 14 were more active against M. tuberculosis H₃₇Rv and multidrug-resistant clinical isolates with MIC values ranging from 15.6 to 62.5 μg/ml. Conclusion: These results demonstrate that the coumarin derivatives were active against multidrug-resistant clinical isolates, becoming potential candidates to be used in the treatment of resistant tuberculosis.