Antibacterial effects of the essential oil from flower buds of Magnolia biondii Pamp

Flower buds of Magnolia biondii Pamp (family Magnoliaceae) is known as Xin-Yi in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia, and is widely used for the treatment of allergic rhinitis, rhinosinusitis, nasal congestion, and headache.1 Bacterial infection caused by Staphylococcus aureus in the-nasal-sinus mucosa is one of key factors which could cause rhinosinusitis,2 thus it is important to evaluate the antibacterial effect of the extracts from M. biondii, which may provide scientific evidence of using Xin-Yi for the treatment of rhinosinusitis. In this study, the essential oil and lignan-rich extract isolated from the flower buds of Magnolia biondii Pamp (Xin-Yi) were investigated for their chemical compositions and in vitro antibacterial activities. GC-MS analysis of the Magnolia essential oil disclosed the presence of 56 compounds including camphor (10.6%), eucalyptol (25.0%), linalool (5.8%), terpine-4-ol (8.4%), alpha-terpineol (19.8%), alpha-cadinol (3.3%), citronellol (2.9%), geraniol (2.3%), and trans-farnesol (8.7%). Both GC-MS and NMR analyses of the chloroform extract disclosed the presence of 7 tetrahydrofurofuran lignans that were demethoxyaschantin, fargesin, epieudesmin, eudesmin, aschantin, magnolin, and yangambin. The essential oil showed stronger antibacterial activities than the lignan-rich extract against five bacteria including pathogenic Staphylococcus aureus and S. epidermidis with MICs ranging from 250 to 500 µg ml-1 using microplate Alamar blue assay. Time-kill kinetics was used to monitor the survival characteristics of S. aureus and Escherichia coli in the presence of the essential oil over 24 hours, which indicated rapidly bactericidal effects. Scanning electron microscopy (Figure 1) showed the change of morphological appearance of S. aureus through destruction its cell wall and membrane by the Magnolia oil

Antibacterial effects of the essential oil from flower buds of Magnolia biondii Pamp

Flower buds of Magnolia biondii Pamp (family Magnoliaceae) is known as Xin-Yi in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia, and is widely used for the treatment of allergic rhinitis, rhinosinusitis, nasal congestion, and headache.1 Bacterial infection caused by Staphylococcus aureus in the-nasal-sinus mucosa is one of key factors which could cause rhinosinusitis,2 thus it is important to evaluate the antibacterial effect of the extracts from M. biondii, which may provide scientific evidence of using Xin-Yi for the treatment of rhinosinusitis. In this study, the essential oil and lignan-rich extract isolated from the flower buds of Magnolia biondii Pamp (Xin-Yi) were investigated for their chemical compositions and in vitro antibacterial activities. GC-MS analysis of the Magnolia essential oil disclosed the presence of 56 compounds including camphor (10.6%), eucalyptol (25.0%), linalool (5.8%), terpine-4-ol (8.4%), alpha-terpineol (19.8%), alpha-cadinol (3.3%), citronellol (2.9%), geraniol (2.3%), and trans-farnesol (8.7%). Both GC-MS and NMR analyses of the chloroform extract disclosed the presence of 7 tetrahydrofurofuran lignans that were demethoxyaschantin, fargesin, epieudesmin, eudesmin, aschantin, magnolin, and yangambin. The essential oil showed stronger antibacterial activities than the lignan-rich extract against five bacteria including pathogenic Staphylococcus aureus and S. epidermidis with MICs ranging from 250 to 500 µg ml-1 using microplate Alamar blue assay. Time-kill kinetics was used to monitor the survival characteristics of S. aureus and Escherichia coli in the presence of the essential oil over 24 hours, which indicated rapidly bactericidal effects. Scanning electron microscopy (Figure 1) showed the change of morphological appearance of S. aureus through destruction its cell wall and membrane by the Magnolia oil

Discovery, synthesis and antibacterial evaluation of phenolic compounds from Cylicodiscus gabunensis

BACKGROUND Cylicodiscus gabunensis Harms (Family Leguminosae) (CG) is an African medicinal plant used as a treatment of various ailments including malaria, liver diseases, and gastrointestinal disturbances. Its extracts showed potent in vitro antibacterial activity. However, the antibacterial components are unknown. METHODS In this study, the stem bark of the CG plant was extracted and its antibacterial property against a panel of Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacterial strains assessed using the disk diffusion assay method. Bioassay-guided fractionation of the bioactive extracts was employed to identify bioactive constituents using both gas and liquid chromatography mass spectrometry. Chemical synthesis was used to make the analogues of gallic acid. Microplate dilution assays and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used to evaluate the antibacterial properties and mechanism of action of the active fractions and pure compounds. RESULTS The most bioactive sub-fractions derived from CG comprised of ethyl gallate, gallic acid and polyphenols. Five alkyl/alkenyl gallates were synthesized. A preliminary structure-activity relationship of gallic acid derivatives was obtained using the synthetic analogues and a series of commercially available phenolic compounds. Increasing the length of alkyl chains generally increases the potency of the alkyl gallates. Introducing a double bond with restricted conformations of the C-5 side chain has little effect on the antibacterial property. SEM analysis of the effect of alkyl gallates on Staphylococcus aureus indicates that they appear to interrupt S. aureus bacterial cell wall integrity. CONCLUSIONS The results of this research rationalise the ethnobotanical use of C. gabunensis and suggest that gallate derivatives may serve as promising antibacterial agents for the treatment of infectious diseases

Mauritian Endemic Medicinal Plant Extracts Induce G2/M Phase Cell Cycle Arrest and Growth Inhibition of Oesophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma in Vitro

Terrestrial plants have contributed massively to the development of modern oncologic drugs. Despite the wide acceptance of Mauritian endemic flowering plants in traditional medicine, scientific evidence of their chemotherapeutic potential is lacking. This study aimed to evaluate the in vitro tumor cytotoxicity of leaf extracts from five Mauritian endemic medicinal plants, namely Acalypha integrifolia Willd (Euphorbiaceae), Labourdonnaisia glauca Bojer (Sapotaceae), Dombeya acutangula Cav. subsp. rosea Friedmann (Malvaceae), Gaertnera psychotrioides (DC.) Baker (Rubiaceae), and Eugenia tinifolia Lam (Myrtaceae). The cytotoxicities of the extracts were determined against six human cancer cell lines, including cervical adenocarcinoma, colorectal carcinoma, oesophageal adenocarcinoma, and oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma. The potent extracts were further investigated using cell cycle analysis and reverse phase protein array (RPPA) analysis. The antioxidant properties and polyphenolic profile of the potent extracts were also evaluated. Gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analyses revealed the presence of (+)-catechin and gallocatechin in E. tinifolia and L. glauca, while gallic acid was detected in A. integrifolia. L. glauca, A. integrifolia, and E. tinifolia were highly selective towards human oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma (KYSE-30) cells. L. glauca and E. tinifolia arrested KYSE30 cells in the G2/M phase, in a concentration-dependent manner. RPPA analysis indicated that the extracts may partly exert their tumor growth-inhibitory activity by upregulating the intracellular level of 5′AMP-activated kinase (AMPK). The findings highlight the potent antiproliferative activity of three Mauritian endemic leaf extracts against oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma and calls for further investigation into their chemotherapeutic application

Fingerprint of Tiger Balm® By Thermal Desorption Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry

Introduction: Tiger Balm® is a blend of volatile oils used for many years in control of muscle cramps and headache. Objectives: To establish a quick and accurate method of analysis for Tiger Balm®. Materials and Methods: GC-MS and TD GC-MS were used in parallel to define the metabolites available in Tiger Balm® blend, high quality standards were help in confirmation of the metabolites identities. Results: TD GC-MS was more efficient in showing the 1:1 relative abundance of camphor and menthol which can be taken as a chemical marker of this herbal medicine. Conclusion: In this work we applied efficiently the use of TD GC-MS in quality analysis of semisolid herbal medicine with volatile scents without the need of tedious pre-treatment with organic solvents, which is required by using GC-MS

Analysis of volatile compounds in phytomedicines using thermal desorption gas chromatography mass spectroscopy

Volatile essential oils (EOs) from medicinal plants play an important role in the treatment of various diseases. EOs have been shown to exhibit anti-bacterial, antiviral, antimycotic, antitoxigenic, antiparasitic, and insecticidal properties [1]. Several commercial phytomedicines such as Olbas oil (www.olbas.co.uk) [2], Tiger balm (www.tigerbalm.com) and Mentholtum contain EOs from medicinal plants such as peppermint. Thermal desorption (TD) gas chromatography mass spectroscopy (GC-MS) is a very useful technique for the analysis of volatile compounds without using tedious pre-treatment with organic solvents. Here we have analysed and compared the composition of volatile compounds of Olbas oil, Tiger Balm, and Mentholtum using TD GC-MS. Volatiles from each product have been identified and quantified. Menthol and eucalyptol have been found to be present in all the products (Figure). The easy and sensitive TD GC-MS method is useful for the quality control of phytomedicines containing volatile compounds

A characterization of the antimalarial activity of the bark of Cylicodiscus gabunensis Harms.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE AND AIM: A decoction of the bark of Cylicodiscus gabunensis Harms is used as a traditional medicine in the treatment of malaria in Nigeria. This study aims to validate the antimalarial potency of this decoction in vitro against Plasmodium falciparum and define potential bioactive constituents within the C. gabunensis bark. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A bioassay-guided separation and fractionation protocol was applied to C. gabunensis extracts, exploiting the use of a Malaria Sybr Green I Fluorescence assay method to monitor antiproliferative effects on parasites as well as define 50% inhibition concentrations. Spectroscopic techniques, including GC-MS, TOF LC-MS and (1)H NMR were used to identify phytochemicals present in bioactive fractions. Analogues of gallic acid were synthesized de novo to support the demonstration of the antimalarial action of phenolic acids identified in C. gabunensis bark. In vitro cytotoxicity of plant extracts, fractions and gallate analogues was evaluated against the HepG2 cell line. RESULTS: The antimalarial activity of ethanolic extracts of C. gabunensis bark was confirmed in vitro, with evidence for phenolic acids, primarily gallic acid and close analogues such as ethyl gallate, likely providing this effect. Further fraction produced the most potent fraction with a 50% inhibitory concentration of 4.7µg/ml. Spectroscopic analysis, including (1)H NMR, LC-MS and GC-MS analysis of this fraction and its acid hydrolyzed products, indicated the presence of conjugates of gallic acid with oligosaccharides. The extracts/fractions and synthetic alkyl gallate showed moderate selectivity against P. falciparum. CONCLUSIONS: These results support the use of the bark of C. gabunensis as a traditional medicine in the treatment of human malaria, with phenolic acid oligosaccharide complexes evident in the most bioactive fractions

A characterization of the antimalarial activity of the bark of Cylicodiscus gabunensis Harms.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE AND AIM: A decoction of the bark of Cylicodiscus gabunensis Harms is used as a traditional medicine in the treatment of malaria in Nigeria. This study aims to validate the antimalarial potency of this decoction in vitro against Plasmodium falciparum and define potential bioactive constituents within the C. gabunensis bark. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A bioassay-guided separation and fractionation protocol was applied to C. gabunensis extracts, exploiting the use of a Malaria Sybr Green I Fluorescence assay method to monitor antiproliferative effects on parasites as well as define 50% inhibition concentrations. Spectroscopic techniques, including GC-MS, TOF LC-MS and (1)H NMR were used to identify phytochemicals present in bioactive fractions. Analogues of gallic acid were synthesized de novo to support the demonstration of the antimalarial action of phenolic acids identified in C. gabunensis bark. In vitro cytotoxicity of plant extracts, fractions and gallate analogues was evaluated against the HepG2 cell line. RESULTS: The antimalarial activity of ethanolic extracts of C. gabunensis bark was confirmed in vitro, with evidence for phenolic acids, primarily gallic acid and close analogues such as ethyl gallate, likely providing this effect. Further fraction produced the most potent fraction with a 50% inhibitory concentration of 4.7µg/ml. Spectroscopic analysis, including (1)H NMR, LC-MS and GC-MS analysis of this fraction and its acid hydrolyzed products, indicated the presence of conjugates of gallic acid with oligosaccharides. The extracts/fractions and synthetic alkyl gallate showed moderate selectivity against P. falciparum. CONCLUSIONS: These results support the use of the bark of C. gabunensis as a traditional medicine in the treatment of human malaria, with phenolic acid oligosaccharide complexes evident in the most bioactive fractions