Evaluation of Benzaldehyde as an Antibiotic Modulator and Its Toxic Effect against Drosophila melanogaster

• Published in: Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) Vol. 26; no. 18; p. 5570
• Main Authors: Neto, Luiz Jardelino de Lacerda, Ramos, Andreza Guedes Barbosa, Freitas, Thiago Sampaio de, Barbosa, Cristina Rodrigues Dos Santos, de Sousa Júnior, Dárcio Luiz, Siyadatpanah, Abolghasem, Nejat, Morteza, Wilairatana, Polrat, Coutinho, Henrique Douglas Melo, da Cunha, Francisco Assis Bezerra
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 13.09.2021; MDPI
• Subjects: Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents - chemistry; Anti-Bacterial Agents - pharmacology; antibacterial; Antibacterial activity; Antibiotics; Bacteria; Bacterial infections; Benzaldehyde; Benzaldehydes - chemistry; Benzaldehydes - pharmacology; Biocompatibility; Ciprofloxacin; Ciprofloxacin - pharmacology; Drosophila melanogaster; Drosophila melanogaster - drug effects; Efflux; Ethidium; Ethidium bromide; Fruit flies; Fumigation; insecticide; Insects; Metabolism; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Minimum inhibitory concentration; Mortality; Norfloxacin; Norfloxacin - pharmacology; Penicillin; resistance; Staphylococcus aureus - drug effects; Toxicity; toxicity; insecticide; benzaldehyde; antibacterial; resistance
• ISSN: 1420-3049; 1420-3049
• DOI: 10.3390/molecules26185570

Products of natural origin remain important in the discovery of new bioactive molecules and are less damaging to the environment. Benzaldehyde is a product of the metabolism of plants, and similarly to oxygenated terpenes, it can have antibacterial activity against and toxic action against ; we aimed to verify these activities. The broth microdilution tests determined the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of benzaldehyde alone and in association with antibiotics and ethidium bromide (EtBr). Toxicity against was determined by fumigation tests that measured lethality and damage to the locomotor system. The results indicated that there was an association of norfloxacin and ciprofloxacin with benzaldehyde, from 64 μg/mL to 32 μg/mL of ciprofloxacin in the strain K6028 and from 256 μg/mL to 128 μg/mL of norfloxacin in the strain 1199B; however, the associations were not able to interfere with the functioning of the tested efflux pumps. In addition, benzaldehyde had a toxic effect on flies. Thus, the results proved the ability of benzaldehyde to modulate quinolone antibiotics and its toxic effects on fruit flies, thus enabling further studies in this area.