In vitro activity of Brazilian medicinal plants, naturally occurring naphthoquinones and their analogues, against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus
Introduction
The use of higher plants and preparations made from them to treat infections is an age-old practice in a large part of the world population, especially in developing countries, where there is dependence on traditional medicine for a variety of diseases [1]. Interest in plants with antimicrobial properties has revived as a consequence of current problems associated with the use of antibiotics [2], [3].
Infections caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) isolates have increased greatly during the last decades in hospital [4], [5] and the community [6]. The epidemic clones characterized by Pulsed Field Gel Electrophoresis (PFGE) are capable of rapid spread [7]. In Brazil, the PFGE clone A has been shown to be prevalent in several hospitals [5], [8].
In vitro antimicrobial screening permits the selection of crude plant extracts with potentially useful properties to be used for further chemical and pharmacological studies. The present report is one of a series of studies aimed at the identification of Brazilian plants with antibiotic properties. The 14 botanical species selected here for antimicrobial activity testing against hospital isolates of S. aureus, including MRSA strains, are used in traditional medicine for the treatment of gastrointestinal, respiratory, urinary and skin infections. The quinones tested were obtained within a research program of our laboratory that studies the synthesis and evaluation of rare natural quinones from the Brazilian flora and their synthetic analogues against tropical endemic diseases [9].
Section snippets
Plant material extraction and fractionation
Fourteen different plant species and plant fractions were used as shown in Table 1. The plants were extracted by maceration in ethanol for 2 days at room temperature and the process was repeated twice. The total ethanolic extracts (te) were concentrated in a rotational evaporator under reduced pressure and the residues were then successively partitioned between water (w) and n-hexane (h), followed by chloroform (c) or dichloromethane (d), ethyl acetate (ea) and n-butanol (b). The solutions were
Preliminary evaluation of antibacterial activity
Among the total ethanolic extracts and fractions tested by the disk diffusion method, the P. granatum fruit-pericarp and the wooden part of T. avellanedae extracts and fractions presented antibacterial activity against all S. aureus strains tested. The highest activities were found in the ethyl acetate fraction of P. granatum (PG ea) and in the hexane (TA h) and chloroform (TA c) fractions of T. avellanedae, as well as in the naphthoquinone α-xyloidone II. Lapachol, the major naphthoquinone
Discussion
Infections caused by methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) have increased over the last years. The percentage of MRSA isolated in hospitals and reported to the NNIS system ranged from 15 to 45% in 1991 [2]. By 1990, MRSA strains represented between 38 and 78% of all S. aureus strains isolated in tertiary hospitals in Brazil [3]. Its resistance has been related to the predominance of the single PFGE clone A of MRSA isolated from Brazilian hospitals [5], [8]. The presence of this prevalent clone
Acknowledgements
We are grateful to Dr Benjamin Gilbert, Dr Walter R. Oeleman and Dr Fernando S. Cruz for their comments and suggestions. This study was supported by grants from CNPq, FUJB, FAPERJ and PRONEX (Brazil).
References (28)
- et al.
Screening of some Indian medicinal plants for their antimicrobials properties
J. Ethnopharmacol.
(1998) Key antifungal, antibacterial and anti-insect assays—a critical review
Biochem. Syst. Ecol.
(1994)Vancomycin resistance in staphylococci
Drug Resist. Upd.
(1998)- et al.
Tannins from the leaves of Punica granatum
Phytochemistry
(1997) - et al.
An overview of nosocomial infections, including the role of the microbiology laboratory
Clin. Microbiol. Rev.
(1993) - et al.
An overview of nosocomial infection control in Brazil
Infect. Control Hosp. Epidemiol.
(1995) Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in hospitals and long-term care facilities: microbiology, epidemiology, and preventive measures
Infect. Control Hosp. Epidemiol.
(1992)- et al.
DNA typing of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus: isolates and factors associated with nosocomial acquisition in two Brazilian university hospitals
J. Med. Microbiol.
(1999) - et al.
Antimicrobial susceptibilities and phage typing of hospital and non-hospital strains of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolated from hands
Rev. Microbiol.
(1988) - et al.
Spread of multiresistant Iberian clone of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) to Italy and Scotland
Microb. Drug Resist.
(1998)
Geographic spread of epidemic multiresistant Staphylococcus aureus clone in Brazil
J. Clin. Microbiol.
Chemical reactivity studies with naphthoquinones from Tabebuia with anti-trypanosomal efficacy
Arzneim.-Forsch./Drug Res.
Richerce Sull acido lapacico
Gazz. Chem. Ital.
The constitution of lapachic acid (lapachol) and its derivatives
J. Chem. Soc.
Cited by (221)
Tabebuia rosea (Bertol.) DC. ethanol extract attenuates body weight gain by activation of molecular mediators associated with browning
2021, Journal of Functional FoodsCitation Excerpt :In contrast, the biochemical parameters of lipid, liver, and kidney profiles did not show changes that could suggest damage caused by the administration of TrEtOH extract in HFD obese C57BL/6 mice. The presence of saponins, sterols, steroids, aldehydes, phenolic acids, tannis, flavonoids, iridoids, coumarins, anthrones, lactones, quinones, terpenes, and alkaloids has been reported in T. rosea (Compadre et al., 1982; Garzón-Castaño et al., 2019; Jiménez-González et al., 2018; Joshi et al., 1977; Khandelwal & Singh, 2008; Ramalakshmi & Muthuchelian, 2011; Saravanan et al., 2011; Sathiya & Muthuchelian, 2008; Sichaem et al., 2012), while T. argentea, T. aurea, T. avellanedae, T. chrysantha, and T. roseoalba, also contain apiosides and xanthones (Ferraz-Filha et al., 2016; Ferraz-Filha et al., 2017; Garzón-Castaño et al., 2019; Kreher et al., 1988; Machado et al., 2003; Panda et al., 2019, 2020; Park et al., 2016; Ramalakshmi & Muthuchelian, 2011; Rao et al., 2020; Sathiya & Muthuchelian, 2008; da Silva et al., 2018; Suo et al., 2012; Warashina et al., 2004; Zhang, Hasegawa, & Ohta, 2016). Our preliminary phytochemical studies confirmed the presence of cardiac glycosides, saponins, sterols, aldehydes, ketones, tannins, flavonoids, terpenoids, and alkaloids in TrEtOH extract.
A review of the phytochemical, pharmacological, pharmacokinetic, and toxicological evaluation of Quercus Infectoria galls
2021, Journal of EthnopharmacologyGenus Tabebuia: A comprehensive review journey from past achievements to future perspectives
2021, Arabian Journal of ChemistryAn extensive review on genus “Tabebuia”, family bignoniaceae: Phytochemistry and biological activities (1967 to 2018)
2020, Journal of Herbal Medicine