Antibacterial Constituents in Plants

A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Phytochemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2021) | Viewed by 16253

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Guest Editor
Institute for Biological Resources and Marine Biotechnology (IRBIM)-CNR National Research Council (CNR), Section of Messina, Messina, Italy
Interests: bacteriology; essential oils; antimicrobial-activity plants; aquaculture
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Special Issue Information

Dear colleagues,

It has been known for many years that the excessive use of antibiotics has created phenomena of antibiotic resistance all over the world; so, for several years now, alternative solutions have been sought for the excessive use of antibiotics. A possible solution is given through the study of plants, including officinal plants, which have a series of chemical characteristics that give them antibacterial properties. These substances, which have always been used as natural remedies, are today being rediscovered as an excellent ally to humans.

This Special Issue on antibacterial constituents in plants intends to collect all papers that have as a topic the study of antibacterial substances produced by plants, both from a chemical and a microbiological point of view, and which have repercussions in the industrial field in order to be able to replace these substances as synthetic antibiotics, but also to be used in the conservation and prolongation of the freshness of food, in the agricultural sector, and to increase immune defenses in the aquaculture sector.

Dr. Monique Mancuso
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • antimicrobial substances
  • plants
  • essential oils
  • chemical composition
  • industrial uses

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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19 pages, 2083 KiB  
Article
A Comprehensive Study of the Antibacterial Activity of Bioactive Juice and Extracts from Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) Peels and Seeds
by Kaja Kupnik, Mateja Primožič, Katja Vasić, Željko Knez and Maja Leitgeb
Plants 2021, 10(8), 1554; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10081554 - 28 Jul 2021
Cited by 25 | Viewed by 4791
Abstract
Due to the growing awareness of Punica granatum fruit’s health-promoting properties, the pomegranate is increasingly used for food purposes. This results in the formation of biological waste products such as peels. A biowaste circular bioeconomy strategy holds great prospective for a sustainable economy. [...] Read more.
Due to the growing awareness of Punica granatum fruit’s health-promoting properties, the pomegranate is increasingly used for food purposes. This results in the formation of biological waste products such as peels. A biowaste circular bioeconomy strategy holds great prospective for a sustainable economy. Therefore, a sustainable and environmentally friendly way of disposing of waste (e.g., use of biowaste to obtain high-value components (e.g., punicalagins, enzymes)) is crucial for the protection of the environment and human health. In the presented study, the content of total phenols and proanthocyanidins in ten samples of Punica granatum fruit (juice, aqueous (H2O) and ethanolic (EtOH) extracts of peels and seeds) was determined. Peel extracts were found to be the richest in the content of secondary metabolites and showed extremely high antioxidant potential (approximately 90% inhibition: DPPH radical scavenging activity). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first comparative study to determine the enzymatic activity of α-amylase, lipase, peroxidase, protease, and transglutaminase in different P. granatum samples. Furthermore, the antibacterial efficacy of all P. granatum samples was qualitatively determined against three strains of Gram-negative (Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Pseudomonas fluorescens) and three strains of Gram-positive (Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus, and Streptococcus pyogenes) bacteria, susceptible to gaining antibiotic resistance. Moreover, the most promising peel extracts were quantified for antibacterial efficacy against tested bacteria at five different concentrations. All samples slowed down and inhibited the growth of all tested bacteria. MIC90 values (2.7 or 0.3 mg/mL) were determined in 18 out of 24 experiments (four samples, six bacteria tested). There is no research in the reviewed literature that is current with such detailed and comprehensive determination of P. granatum peel extracts antibacterial activity. The results of the research showed great potential for the use of P. granatum in the field of antibacterial activity in biomedicine applications and in the cosmetic, food, and pharmaceutical industries. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Antibacterial Constituents in Plants)
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14 pages, 308 KiB  
Article
Antimicrobial Activity and Chemical Composition of Essential Oils against Pathogenic Microorganisms of Freshwater Fish
by Alīna Klūga, Margarita Terentjeva, Nenad L. Vukovic and Miroslava Kačániová
Plants 2021, 10(7), 1265; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10071265 - 22 Jun 2021
Cited by 22 | Viewed by 3154
Abstract
Antimicrobials are widely applied in aquaculture for treatment of infectious diseases in fish. The increased antimicrobial resistance of fish pathogens to conventional antimicrobial treatment highlights the need for research on the antibacterial properties of natural products—in this case, essential oils (EOs). The aim [...] Read more.
Antimicrobials are widely applied in aquaculture for treatment of infectious diseases in fish. The increased antimicrobial resistance of fish pathogens to conventional antimicrobial treatment highlights the need for research on the antibacterial properties of natural products—in this case, essential oils (EOs). The aim of the present study was to detect the antimicrobial activity of the essential oils on pathogenic microorganisms found in freshwater fish. Freshwater fish isolates of Aerococcus spp., Aeromonas spp., Enterococcus spp., Escherichia spp., Pseudomonas spp., Shewanella spp., Yersinia spp., and Vagococcus spp. were tested for antimicrobial resistance and antimicrobial activity against 14 commercially available essential oils. Antimicrobial resistance was identified in Pseudomonas spp. isolates against cefepime and ciprofloxacin; while all Aeromonas, Enterococcus, and Yersinia isolates were fully susceptible. All tested EOs revealed antimicrobial activity against the tested freshwater fish isolates at different extents. Cinnamomum camphora exhibited strong antimicrobial activity against Aeromonas spp. (3.12 μL/mL), Enterococcus spp. (0.78–1.56 μL/mL), and Pseudomonas spp. with the MIC method. EOs of Gaultheria procumbens and Litsea cubeba showed strong antibacterial activity against Yersinia spp. and Vacococcus spp. (6.25 μL/mL). The study shows the antimicrobial activity of EOs against the most relevant freshwater fish pathogens and indicates the application opportunities in aquaculture. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Antibacterial Constituents in Plants)
15 pages, 4333 KiB  
Article
Identification and Purification of Potential Bioactive Peptide of Moringa oleifera Seed Extracts
by Sangeeta Chandrashekar, Raman Vijayakumar, Ramachandran Chelliah and Deog-Hwan Oh
Plants 2020, 9(11), 1445; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants9111445 - 27 Oct 2020
Cited by 19 | Viewed by 4746
Abstract
The aim of the study was to investigate the antibacterial and anticoagulant activity of Moringa (Moringa oleifera) seed extracts and coagulant protein for their potential application in water treatment. Pathogenic microorganisms were obtained from Ramachandra Hospital, Chennai, India. Bacterial cell aggregation [...] Read more.
The aim of the study was to investigate the antibacterial and anticoagulant activity of Moringa (Moringa oleifera) seed extracts and coagulant protein for their potential application in water treatment. Pathogenic microorganisms were obtained from Ramachandra Hospital, Chennai, India. Bacterial cell aggregation and growth kinetics studies were employed for six bacterial strains with different concentrations of seed extracts and coagulant protein. Moringa seed extract and coagulant protein showed cell aggregation against six bacterial strains, whereas seed extract alone showed growth inhibition of all six bacterial strains for up to 6 h, compared to that of control. Escherichia coli and Salmonella para typhi B did not develop resistance against coagulant protein. The results imply that Moringa oleifera is likely an efficient low-molecular bioactive peptide (with <7.5 kDa plant-based coagulant and antimicrobial peptides, confirmed by applying amino acid sequences), using liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry and HPLC, with the corresponding sequences from Napin-1A peptide posing different degrees of antibacterial activity against different pathogenic organisms. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Antibacterial Constituents in Plants)
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12 pages, 317 KiB  
Brief Report
Antibacterial, Mutagenic Properties and Chemical Characterisation of Sugar Bush (Protea caffra Meisn.): A South African Native Shrub Species
by McMaster Vambe, Adeyemi O. Aremu, Jude C. Chukwujekwu, Jiri Gruz, Andrea Luterová, Jeffrey F. Finnie and Johannes Van Staden
Plants 2020, 9(10), 1331; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants9101331 - 9 Oct 2020
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2815
Abstract
Protea caffra is used as a diarrhoeal remedy in South African herbal medicine, however, its pharmacological properties remain largely unknown. In the present study, extracts from different Protea caffra organs were screened against drug-sensitive and -resistant diarrhoeagenic pathogens using the microdilution assay (minimum [...] Read more.
Protea caffra is used as a diarrhoeal remedy in South African herbal medicine, however, its pharmacological properties remain largely unknown. In the present study, extracts from different Protea caffra organs were screened against drug-sensitive and -resistant diarrhoeagenic pathogens using the microdilution assay (minimum inhibitory concentration, MIC). Twig extracts (70% methanol, MeOH) of the plant were purified and the resultant fractions screened for antibacterial properties (MIC). The chemical profiles of the fractions were determined by Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS), while ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) was used to quantify the phenolic acids in the plant. The mutagenic properties of bioactive extracts were assessed using the Ames test. The extracts demonstrated weak-moderate antibacterial properties (MIC: 0.3–0.6 mg/mL). A cold ethyl acetate fraction of MeOH twig extract exhibited significant antibacterial properties (MIC = 0.078 mg/mL) against Enterococcus faecalis. The presence of antibacterial compounds (1-adamantane carboxylic acid, heptacosanol, levoglucosan, nonadecanol) in the plant was putatively confirmed based on GC-MS analysis. Furthermore, UHPLC-MS/MS analysis revealed varying concentrations of phenolic acids (0.08–374.55 µg/g DW). Based on the Ames test, the extracts were non-mutagenic thereby suggesting their safety. To a certain degree, the current study supports the traditional use of Protea caffra to manage diarrhoea among local communities in South Africa. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Antibacterial Constituents in Plants)
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