Antibacterial Activity of Vanillic Acid against Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella typhi, and Proteus mirabilis

Aim. This study investigated the efficacy of vanillic acid against selected pathogenic bacteria obtained from clinical samples. Method. The antibacterial efficacy of vanillic acid against selected pathogenic bacteria collected from clinical samples was studied using a broth macrodilution method. The minimum inhibitory concentration was determined by treating each isolate with increasing amounts of vanillic acid ranging from 150 to 2000 µg/ml. Results. The lowest inhibitory concentrations found were 600 µg/ml for Staphylococcus aureus, Proteus mirabilis, and Salmonella Typhi, and the time-kill susceptibility test also demonstrated a significant reduction in viable cells of the bacterial isolates investigated in this study. The findings of this study confirmed the antimicrobial effect of vanillic acid on bacterial growth and its activity against Staphylococcus aureus, Proteus mirabilis, and Salmonella Typhi. Conclusion. Vanillic acid may provide a solution for alternate therapeutic choices for diseases caused by Staphylococcus aureus, Proteus mirabilis, and Salmonella Typhi

Phenolic extract of Parkia biglobosa fruit pulp stalls aflatoxin B1 – mediated oxidative rout in the liver of male rats

The effect of phenolic extract of Parkia biglobosa (Jacq.) R. Br. ex G. Don, Fabaceae, pulp on aflatoxin B1 induced oxidative imbalance in rat liver was evaluated. Thirty-five male rats were randomized into seven groups of five animals each. Rats in group A served as control and received vehicle for drug administration (0.5% DMSO) once daily at 24 h intervals for six weeks. Rats in groups B, D, E, F and G, received aflatoxin B1 (167 μg/kg body weight) in 0.5% DMSO for three weeks, starting from the third week of the experimental period. Rats in Group C received 400 mg/kg bodyweight of the extract for six weeks, while groups D, E and F rats were treated with 100, 200 and 400 mg/kg bodyweight of the extract for six weeks respectively. Group G rats received 100 mg/kg body weight of vitamin C. Aflatoxin B1-mediated decrease in the activities of superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione reductase and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase were significantly attenuated. Aflatoxin B1 mediated the elevation in malondialdehyde, conjugated dienes, lipid hydroperoxides, protein carbonyl, and significantly lowered DNA fragmentation percentage. Overall, the phenolic extract of P. biglobosa pulp stalls aflatoxin B1-mediated oxidative rout by enhancing antioxidant enzyme activities leading to decreased lipid peroxidation, protein oxidation and DNA fragmentation. Keywords: Parkia biglobosa, Redox imbalance, Oxidative stress, DNA fragmentation lipid peroxidatio