Antimicrobial activity of medicinal plants used by aborigines of Kalahandi, Orissa, India against multidrug resistant bacteria

Ethnoveterinary Study of Plant-Based Remedies for Treating Diseases in Small Ruminants in Maputo Province, Mozambique

Small ruminants, particularly goats and sheep, are key livestock species in Mozambique, and their production is mainly undertaken by families. However, small ruminants are often plagued by diseases that can cause considerable economic damage. In this context, traditional remedies, including various plant species, have been widely used to manage these diseases. The aim of this study was to explore the use of plant-based remedies and other treatments for managing diseases in small ruminants in Maputo Province, Mozambique. Data collection involved conducting interviews with 44 small ruminant breeders across 5 districts in Maputo Province to identify the plants and other remedies commonly used for managing diseases in their animals. We identified a total of 38 plant species belonging to 22 families. Among these plants, four were not identified by their scientific name. The most important plants reported were Cissus quadrangularis, Euphorbia kirkii, and Aloe sp., with Cissus quadrangularis being particularly noteworthy as it was frequently cited for the treatment of wounds. The most commonly cited botanical families were Fabaceae, Euphorbiaceae, and Asphodelaceae. Interestingly, in addition to plant-based remedies, we also identified other nonplant sources of treatment, such as alkaline batteries, which are commonly used to treat wounds in small ruminants. The use of plants for ethnoveterinary purposes remains prevalent in Maputo province, with older breeders serving as the primary custodians of this traditional knowledge. Efforts should be made to document and share the knowledge of these older breeders, ensuring that it is not lost over time. This preservation of ethnoveterinary knowledge can contribute to sustainable livestock management and support the wellbeing of both rural communities and their animals.

Antimicrobial Activity of Herbal Mixture Extract Combination on Microorganisms Isolated from Urinary Tract infection

Urinary tract infection (UTI) is the second most common infection after respiratory tract infection. Its prevalence is more in women as compared to men. Approximately 50% of women have an infection of the Urinary tract in their life-time. The bacterial infection is one of the most important bioactivity; using their ability to imitate evanish then distributes international fitness problems into the 21st centenary. Thus a recent study was undertaken to investigate the antibacterial activity of a mixture of three medicinal plants against UTI infectious isolates. The three considered plants were (Aloe vera, Artemisia herba alba and Teucrium polium), which were used in Iraqi medicine for many centuries. The effectiveness of this combination was investigated using in vitro well diffusion method. The extract was tested against four isolated pathogenic bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella spp, and Proteus spp). The aqueous extract exhibited antibacterial activity against gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. The mixture extract had the highest effect against S. aureus and Proteus spp, followed by a lower effect on Klebsiella spp. In conclusion, the antibacterial effect of the tested plant extracts confirmed a higher impact on Gram-positive bacteria as compared to Gram-negative bacteria. Therefore, it can be concluded that the usage of these plants as a traditional medicine form can be considered as a strong assistant to regular medicine drugs and treatments.

Tackling Antibiotic Resistance with Compounds of Natural Origin: A Comprehensive Review

Drug-resistant bacteria pose a serious threat to human health worldwide. Current antibiotics are losing efficacy and new antimicrobial agents are urgently needed. Living organisms are an invaluable source of antimicrobial compounds. The antimicrobial activity of the most representative natural products of animal, bacterial, fungal and plant origin are reviewed in this paper. Their activity against drug-resistant bacteria, their mechanisms of action, the possible development of resistance against them, their role in current medicine and their future perspectives are discussed. Electronic databases such as PubMed, Scopus and ScienceDirect were used to search scientific contributions until September 2020, using relevant keywords. Natural compounds of heterogeneous origins have been shown to possess antimicrobial capabilities, including against antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The most commonly found mechanisms of antimicrobial action are related to protein biosynthesis and alteration of cell walls and membranes. Various natural compounds, especially phytochemicals, have shown synergistic capacity with antibiotics. There is little literature on the development of specific resistance mechanisms against natural antimicrobial compounds. New technologies such as -omics, network pharmacology and informatics have the potential to identify and characterize new natural antimicrobial compounds in the future. This knowledge may be useful for the development of future therapeutic strategies.

Biological Characterization and Inhibition of Streptococcus pyogenes ZUH1 Causing Chronic Cystitis by Crocus sativus Methanol Extract, Bee Honey Alone or in Combination with Antibiotics: An In Vitro Study

Streptococcus pyogenes (S. pyogenes) ZUH1 was isolated and characterized using morphological, cultural and biochemical methods. The results showed that the marker genes (namely spyCEP, ssa, sic, sdaB and speG) indicating group A streptococci (GAS) were detected in the S. pyogenes genome. The results showed that the S. pyogenes strain was inhibited by Crocus sativus methanol extract (CSME), bee honey (BH) and catfish glycoprotein (CFG). The inhibitory activity of these natural agents were compared with standard antibiotics such as Ceftazidime (30 μg/mL), Cefoperazone (75 μg/mL), Cefoxitin (30 μg/mL) and Imipenem (10 μg/mL). There was a synergistic effect between certain antibiotics and CSME. GC-MS and IR analysis of CSME showed different cyclic ketones, aldehydes, esters, alcohols and acids. The main compounds were tetradecanoic acid, safranal and isophorone. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images of S. pyogenes cells treated with CSME showed signs of an irregular wrinkled outer surface, fragmentation, adhesion and aggregation of damaged bacterial cells or cellular debris. The marker genes (spyCEP, ssa, sic, sdaB and speG) could be used as a rapid diagnostic tool for GAS. CSME, BH and CFG showed distinctive anti-streptococcal activity either alone or in combinations with antibiotics; their action on S. pyogenes cells was studied by TEM. There was a synergistic effect between antibiotics and Crocus sativus, bee honey, and glycoprotein against S. pyogenes ZUH1. The action of natural agents on the pathogenic cells was shown using TEM.

Plant-derived antimicrobials to fight against multi-drug-resistant human pathogens

Antibiotic resistance is becoming a pivotal concern for public health that has accelerated the search for new antimicrobial molecules from nature. Numbers of human pathogens have inevitably evolved to become resistant to various currently available drugs causing considerable mortality and morbidity worldwide. It is apparent that novel antibiotics are urgently warranted to combat these life-threatening pathogens. In recent years, there have been an increasing number of studies to discover new bioactive compounds from plant origin with the hope to control antibiotic-resistant bacteria. This review attempts to focus and record the plant-derived compounds and plant extracts against multi-drug-resistant (MDR) pathogens including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), MDR-Mycobacterium tuberculosis and malarial parasites Plasmodium spp. reported between 2005 and 2015. During this period, a total of 110 purified compounds and 60 plant extracts were obtained from 112 different plants. The plants reviewed in this study belong to 70 different families reported from 36 countries around the world. The present review also discusses the drug resistance in bacteria and emphasizes the urge for new drugs.

Multifunctionality and diversity of culturable bacterial communities strictly associated with spores of the plant beneficial symbiont Rhizophagus intraradices

Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi (AMF) live in symbiosis with most crop plants and represent essential elements of soil fertility and plant nutrition and productivity, facilitating soil mineral nutrient uptake and protecting plants from biotic and abiotic stresses. These beneficial services may be mediated by the dense and active spore-associated bacterial communities, which sustain diverse functions, such as the promotion of mycorrhizal activity, biological control of soilborne diseases, nitrogen fixation, and the supply of nutrients and growth factors. In this work, we utilised culture-dependent methods to isolate and functionally characterize the microbiota strictly associated to Rhizophagus intraradices spores, and molecularly identified the strains with best potential plant growth promoting (PGP) activities by 16S rDNA sequence analysis. We isolated in pure culture 374 bacterial strains belonging to different functional groups-actinobacteria, spore-forming, chitinolytic and N2-fixing bacteria-and screened 122 strains for their potential PGP activities. The most common PGP trait was represented by P solubilization from phytate (69.7%), followed by siderophore production (65.6%), mineral P solubilization (49.2%) and IAA production (42.6%). About 76% of actinobacteria and 65% of chitinolytic bacteria displayed multiple PGP activities. Nineteen strains with best potential PGP activities, assigned to Sinorhizobium meliloti, Streptomyces spp., Arthrobacter phenanthrenivorans, Nocardiodes albus, Bacillus sp. pumilus group, Fictibacillus barbaricus and Lysinibacillus fusiformis, showed the ability to produce IAA and siderophores and to solubilize P from mineral phosphate and phytate, representing suitable candidates as biocontrol agents, biofertilisers and bioenhancers, in the perspective of targeted management of beneficial symbionts and their associated bacteria in sustainable food production systems.

Clinical Efficacy of Moringa oleifera Lam. Stems Bark in Urinary Tract Infections

Objective. Urinary tract infections (UTI) are the most common problem in clinical practice. Usually they are asymptomatic and are commonly present with distressing symptoms like pain and burning sensation on urination. Antibiotics are widely used to treat UTIs; however, they have their own limitations like resistance, reinfection, and relapses. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the value of Moringa oleifera Lam. stem bark as a potential medicine for UTIs. Study Design. 30 patients with UTI were randomly divided into two groups with 15 patients in each group. Shigru bark was given to patients of the first group (trial group) and modern medicines were prescribed to the other group of patients. At least three follow-ups are taken in both groups at the end of every week of treatment. Results. After treatment 66.67 % were cured, 13.33 % improved, 13.33% patients have no change, and 6.67% relapsed in trial group and in control group 46.67% were cured, 26.66% improved, 6.67% patients have no change, and 20% relapsed. Interpretation and Conclusion. The trial drug is significant in the management of UTI. This study needs to be done on a large scale and for a long time.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and plant-derived antimicrobials (PDAms) as an alternative drug line to control infections

Infectious diseases caused by antimicrobial-resistant microbes (ARMs) and the treatment are the serious problems in the field of medical science today world over. The development of alternative drug line to treat such infectious diseases is urgently required. Researches on ARMs revealed the presence of membrane proteins responsible for effusing the antibiotics from the bacterial cells. Such proteins have successfully been treated by plant-derived antimicrobials (PDAms) synergistically along with the commercially available antibiotics. Such synergistic action usually inhibits the efflux pump. The enhanced activity of plant-derived antimicrobials is being researched and is considered as the future treatment strategy to cure the incurable infections. The present paper reviews the advancement made in the researches on antimicrobial resistance along with the discovery and the development of more active PDAms.

In Vitro Antibacterial Activity, Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry Analysis of Woodfordia fruticosa Kurz. Leaf Extract and Host Toxicity Testing With In Vitro Cultured Lymphocytes From Human Umbilical Cord Blood

Objectives

To locate a plant with suitable phytochemicals for use as antimicrobial agents to control multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria as a complementary medicine, without host toxicity as monitored through cultured lymphocytes from human umbilical cord blood.

Methods

The methanol crude leaf extract of the plant Woodfordia fruticosa was subjected to antimicrobial assay in vitro with nine pathogenic MDR bacteria from clinical samples. This was followed by bioassay-guided fractionation with seven non-polar to polar solvents, gas chromatography–mass spectrometry analysis of the n-butanol fraction, and monitoring of the host toxicity of the leaf extract with in vitro grown lymphocytes from human umbilical cord blood.

Results

The leaf extract of W. fruticosa had a controlling capacity for MDR bacteria. The minimum inhibitory concentration and minimum bactericidal concentration of the n-butanol fraction were < 1.89 mg/mL extract and 9.63 mg/mL extract, respectively. The gas chromatography–mass spectrometry spectrum of the n-butanol fraction confirmed the presence of 13 peaks of different compounds with retention times of 9.11 minutes, 9.72 minutes, 10.13 minutes, 10.78 minutes, 12.37 minutes, 12.93 minutes, 18.16 minutes, 21.74 minutes, 21.84 minutes, 5.96 minutes, 12.93 minutes, 24.70 minutes, and 25.76 minutes. The six leading compounds were: diethyl phthalate: IUPAC name: diethyl benzene-1,2-dicarboxylate; 5-methyl-2-(1-methylethyl) phenol: IUPAC name: 5-methyl-2-propan-2-ylphenol; (E )-3,7-dimethylocta-2,6-diene-1-thiol: IUPAC name: (2Z)-3,7-dimethylocta-2,6-diene-1-thiol; 2,6,10-dodecatrien-1-ol, 3,7,11-trimethyl-, (E,E ): IUPAC name: 2,6,10-dodecatrien-1-ol; 3,7,11-trimethyl-, (E,E); 2-methoxy-4-(2-propenyl) phenol: IUPAC name: 2-methoxy-4-[(1E)-prop-1-en-1-yl]phenol; hexadecanoic acid: IUPAC name: hexadecanoic acid.

Conclusion

The presence of antimicrobial compounds that are therapeutically potent against MDR bacteria was confirmed in W. fruticosa. The crude leaf extract showed no host toxicity with human lymphocytes; the n-butanol fraction of the extract was the most suitable bioactive fraction. The terpenes isolated were: 5-methyl-2-(1-methylethyl) phenol, 2-methoxy-4-(2-propenyl) phenol, 2,6-octadien-1-ol, 3,7-dimethyl-(E)-2,6-octadienal, 3,7-dimethylcyclohexanol, and cyclohexanol, 2-methylene-5-(1-methylethenyl) which were reported to have specifically antimicrobial activity.