Antibacterial and quorum sensing regulatory activities of some traditional Eastern-European medicinal plants

• Published in: Acta Pharmaceutica Vol. 64; no. 2; pp. 173 - 186
• Main Authors: Tolmacheva, Anna A., Rogozhin, Eugene A., Deryabin, Dmitry G.
• Format: Journal Article Paper
• Language: English
• Published: Croatia De Gruyter Open 01.06.2014; De Gruyter Poland; Hrvatsko farmaceutsko društvo; Sciendo
• Subjects: Anti-Bacterial Agents - pharmacology; antimicrobial activity; Arctostaphylos; Betula verrucosa; Bidens tripartita; Chromobacterium - drug effects; Chromobacterium - metabolism; Chromobacterium violaceum; Chromobacterium violaceum bioassay; Eucalyptus; Europe, Eastern; Indoles - metabolism; medicinal plants; Phylogeny; Plant Extracts - pharmacology; Plant Leaves - chemistry; Plants, Medicinal - chemistry; Quercus robur; quorum sensing; Quorum Sensing - drug effects
• ISSN: 1330-0075; 1846-9558
• DOI: 10.2478/acph-2014-0019

The objective of this study was to screen extracts of twenty Eastern European medicinal plants, using wild-type and reporter Chromobacterium violaceum bioassays, for novel components that target bacterial cells and their quorum sensing (QS) communication systems. Three types of activity and their combinations were revealed: (i) direct antimicrobial growth-inhibitory activity, (ii) non-specific and specific pro-QS activities, (iii) anti-QS activity. Among seven plant extracts showing direct growth-inhibitory activity, the strongest effect was shown by Arctostaphylos uva- -ursi (bearberry) leaves. Many plants stimulated violacein production by wild-type C. violaceum ATCC 31532 in a non-specific manner, and only the herb Bidens tripartita (three-lobe beggarticks) contained compounds that mimic acyl-homoserine lactone and operated as a QS agonist. Anti-QS activity was found in eleven plants including Quercus robur (oak) cortex, Betula verrucosa (birch) buds and Eucalyptus viminalis (Manna Gum) leaves. Subsequent statistical analysis showed differences between antimicrobial and anti-QS activities, whereas both activities were defined by phylogenetic position of medical resource plant. Finally, extract from Quercus robur cortex revealed at least two fractions, showing different anti-QS mechanisms. These data confirm that multicomponent anti-infectious mechanisms are used by plants, which may be useful for drug development