Antimicrobial activity of resin acid derivatives

• Published in: Applied microbiology and biotechnology Vol. 72; no. 3; pp. 430 - 436
• Main Authors: Savluchinske-Feio, Sonia, Curto, Maria João Marcelo, Gigante, Bárbara, Roseiro, J. Carlos
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin Berlin/Heidelberg : Springer-Verlag 01.09.2006; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Anti-Bacterial Agents - chemistry; Anti-Bacterial Agents - pharmacology; Antibacterial; Antifungal; Antifungal Agents - chemistry; Antifungal Agents - pharmacokinetics; Antifungal Agents - pharmacology; Antimicrobial agents; Bacteria - drug effects; Biological and medical sciences; Biotechnology; Botrytis cinerea; Dehydroabietic acid; Diterpenes - chemistry; Diterpenes - pharmacokinetics; Diterpenes - pharmacology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Fungi; Fungi - chemistry; Fungi - cytology; Fungi - drug effects; Lophodermium; Microorganisms; Mode of action; Natural products; Phytopathogenic; resin acids; Resins, Plant - chemistry; Resins, Plant - pharmacokinetics; Resins, Plant - pharmacology; Structure-Activity Relationship; Antimicrobial agent
• ISSN: 0175-7598; 1432-0614
• DOI: 10.1007/s00253-006-0517-0

The wide potential of resin acids as bioactive agents gave rise to a growing effort in the search for new applications of the natural forms and their derivatives. In some of these compounds, the antimicrobial activity is associated to the presence in the molecules of functional groups such as the hydroxyl, aldehyde, and ketone or to their cis or trans configurations. The resin acid family covers a spectrum of antimicrobial activities against several microorganisms, from bacteria to fungi, in which the mode of action was studied by electron microscopy. The morphological alterations are consistent with an unspecific mode of action causing inhibition of the fungal growth or damaging the fungal cells in parallel with a mechanism of resistance based on the retention of the compound by the lipid accumulation. The sterol composition of phytopathogenic fungi Botrytis cinerea and Lophodermium seditiosum treated with methyl cis-7-oxo-deisopropyldehydroabietate revealed the presence of ergosterol (M+ 396) and dihydroergosterol (M+ 398) in both cultures showing that this compound did not interfere with the ergosterol metabolic pathway of both fungi.