Antimicrobial, Anthelmintic, and Antiviral Activity of Plants Traditionally Used for Treating Infectious Disease in the Similipal Biosphere Reserve, Odisha, India

In the present study, we tested in vitro different parts of 35 plants used by tribals of the Similipal Biosphere Reserve (SBR, Mayurbhanj district, India) for the management of infections. From each plant, three extracts were prepared with different solvents (water, ethanol, and acetone) and tested for antimicrobial (E. coli, S. aureus, C. albicans); anthelmintic (C. elegans); and antiviral (enterovirus 71) bioactivity. In total, 35 plant species belonging to 21 families were recorded from tribes of the SBR and periphery. Of the 35 plants, eight plants (23%) showed broad-spectrum in vitro antimicrobial activity (inhibiting all three test strains), while 12 (34%) exhibited narrow spectrum activity against individual pathogens (seven as anti-staphylococcal and five as anti-candidal). Plants such as Alangium salviifolium, Antidesma bunius, Bauhinia racemosa, Careya arborea, Caseria graveolens, Cleistanthus patulus, Colebrookea oppositifolia, Crotalaria pallida, Croton roxburghii, Holarrhena pubescens, Hypericum gaitii, Macaranga peltata, Protium serratum, Rubus ellipticus, and Suregada multiflora showed strong antibacterial effects, whilst Alstonia scholaris, Butea monosperma, C. arborea, C. pallida, Diospyros malbarica, Gmelina arborea, H. pubescens, M. peltata, P. serratum, Pterospermum acerifolium, R. ellipticus, and S. multiflora demonstrated strong antifungal activity. Plants such as A. salviifolium, A. bunius, Aporosa octandra, Barringtonia acutangula, C. graveolens, C. pallida, C. patulus, G. arborea, H. pubescens, H. gaitii, Lannea coromandelica, M. peltata, Melastoma malabathricum, Millettia extensa, Nyctanthes arbor-tristis, P. serratum, P. acerifolium, R. ellipticus, S. multiflora, Symplocos cochinchinensis, Ventilago maderaspatana, and Wrightia arborea inhibit survival of C. elegans and could be a potential source for anthelmintic activity. Additionally, plants such as A. bunius, C. graveolens, C. patulus, C. oppositifolia, H. gaitii, M. extensa, P. serratum, R. ellipticus, and V. maderaspatana showed anti-enteroviral activity. Most of the plants, whose traditional use as anti-infective agents by the tribals was well supported, show in vitro inhibitory activity against an enterovirus, bacteria (E. coil, S. aureus), a fungus (C. albicans), or a nematode (C. elegans)

Ethanolic extract of leaf of Dillenia pentagyna reduces in-vitro cell migration and induces intrinsic pathway of apoptosis via downregulation of NF-kappa beta in human NSCLC A549 cells

Despite the advancement of the pharmaceutical industry, medicinal plants are still a reliable source of traditional medicines to cure a number of diseases. Various parts of Dillenia pentagyna are used in traditional medicine in India for treatment of various disorders including cancers, but detailed mechanisms are still unknown. Dried leaves of D. pentagyna were extracted with ethanol and termed as an ethanolic extract of leaves of D. pentagyna (EELDP). Our aim was to elucidate the role of EELDP in in-vitro cell migration and apoptosis in highly metastatic human lung adenocarcinoma A549 cells. We measured cell viability and in-vitro cell migration in three different human cancer cells A549, HeLa and U2OS treated with EELDP (0-0.6 mg/mL). However, A549 cells showed higher sensitivity to EELDP treatment. Hence we studied several key markers of metastasis and apoptosis pathway in A549 cells treated with EELDP. EELDP treatment significantly reduced in-vitro cell migration, wound healing, expression and activity of MMP-2, MMP-9 via reduction of nuclear factor kappa Beta (NF-κβ). EELDP also reduced vimentin, N-cadherin and increased claudin-1. The intrinsic pathway of apoptosis was triggered by EELDP via the NF-κβ pathway through the increase of the Bax to Bcl2 ratio, leading to the fall of mitochondrial membrane potential and subsequently induced release of cytochrome c, activation of caspase-3 followed by nuclear fragmentation in A549 cells. Furthermore, we observed change of a few markers of metastasis and apoptosis in other two cell types HeLa and U2OS treated with EELDP. These data implicate that the effect of EELDP is not cell-specific. Since only 0.1 mg/mL EELDP significantly reduces in-vitro cell migration and increases apoptosis, the active compound(s) present in EELDP is very much potent to control highly metastatic cancer.status: publishe

Antimicrobial, anthelmintic, and antiviral activity of plants traditionally used for treating infectious disease in the Similipal Biosphere Reserve, Odisha, India

In the present study, we tested in vitro different parts of 35 plants used by tribals of the Similipal Biosphere Reserve (SBR, Mayurbhanj district, India) for the management of infections. From each plant, three extracts were prepared with different solvents (water, ethanol, and acetone) and tested for antimicrobial (E. coli, S. aureus, C. albicans); anthelmintic (C. elegans); and antiviral (enterovirus 71) bioactivity. In total, 35 plant species belonging to 21 families were recorded from tribes of the SBR and periphery. Of the 35 plants, eight plants (23%) showed broad-spectrum in vitro antimicrobial activity (inhibiting all three test strains), while 12 (34%) exhibited narrow spectrum activity against individual pathogens (seven as anti-staphylococcal and five as anti-candidal). Plants such as Alangium salviifolium, Antidesma bunius, Bauhinia racemosa, Careya arborea, Caseria graveolens, Cleistanthus patulus, Colebrookea oppositifolia, Crotalaria pallida, Croton roxburghii, Holarrhena pubescens, Hypericum gaitii, Macaranga peltata, Protium serratum, Rubus ellipticus, and Suregada multiflora showed strong antibacterial effects, whilst Alstonia scholaris, Butea monosperma, C. arborea, C. pallida, Diospyros malbarica, Gmelina arborea, H. pubescens, M. peltata, P. serratum, Pterospermum acerifolium, R. ellipticus, and S. multiflora demonstrated strong antifungal activity. Plants such as A. salviifolium, A. bunius, Aporosa octandra, Barringtonia acutangula, C. graveolens, C. pallida, C. patulus, G. arborea, H. pubescens, H. gaitii, Lannea coromandelica, M. peltata, Melastoma malabathricum, Millettia extensa, Nyctanthes arbor-tristis, P. serratum, P. acerifolium, R. ellipticus, S. multiflora, Symplocos cochinchinensis, Ventilago maderaspatana, and Wrightia arborea inhibit survival of C. elegans and could be a potential source for anthelmintic activity. Additionally, plants such as A. bunius, C. graveolens, C. patulus, C. oppositifolia, H. gaitii, M. extensa, P. serratum, R. ellipticus, and V. maderaspatana showed anti-enteroviral activity. Most of the plants, whose traditional use as anti-infective agents by the tribals was well supported, show in vitro inhibitory activity against an enterovirus, bacteria (E. coil, S. aureus), a fungus (C. albicans), or a nematode (C. elegans).status: publishe

Antimicrobial secondary metabolites of an endolichenic Aspergillus niger isolated from lichen thallus of Parmotrema ravum

A new 6-benzyl-γ-pyrone (1), named aspergyllone was isolated from the culture filtrates of an endolichenic fungus Aspergillus niger Tiegh, obtained from lichen thallus Parmotrema ravum (Krog & Swinscow) Serus, collected in India. 1 was isolated for the first time from an endolichenic fungus together with six other known metabolites identified as aurasperones A (2) and D (3), asperpyrone A (4), fonsecinone A (5), carbonarone A (6) and pyrophen (7). The compounds were tested against a panel of human, plant, food borne and fish pathogens. Aspergyllone showed strong selective antifungal activity against Candida parapsilosis (Ashford) Langeron & Talice, with an IC50 of 52 µg/mL. Aurasperone A and pyrophen showed moderate to strong antimicrobial activity inhibiting seven different test pathogens, being pyrophen active with IC50 ranging from 35 to 97 µg/mL.[Formula: see text].status: publishe

Thiomonas bhubaneswarensis sp. nov., an obligately mixotrophic, moderately thermophilic, thiosulfate-oxidizing bacterium

A novel aerobic, obligately mixotrophic, moderately thermophilic, thiosulfate-oxidizing bacterium, S10<SUP>T</SUP>, was isolated from hot-spring sediment samples collected from Atri, Bhubaneswar, India. The cells of this isolate stained Gram-negative and were strictly aerobic, non-sporulating, rod-shaped and motile with a single polar flagellum. Strain S10<SUP>T</SUP> was positive for oxidase and catalase activities. It was capable of utilizing thiosulfate under mixotrophic growth conditions. Mixotrophic growth was observed at pH 6.0-8.5 and 25-45 °C; optimum growth occurred at pH 7.5-8.0 and 30-37 °C. The major cellular fatty acids were C<SUB>12:0</SUB> 3-OH, C<SUB>16:1</SUB>ω7c, C<SUB>16:0</SUB>, C<SUB>17:0</SUB> cyclo, C<SUB>18:1</SUB>ω7c and C19:0 cyclo ω8c. The DNA G+C content of strain S10<SUP>T</SUP> was 64.8 mol%. 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis indicated that the bacterium clustered within the radiation of the genus Thiomonas and showed 98.0% similarity with Thiomonas perometabolis ATCC 23370<SUP>T</SUP> and Thiomonas intermedia ATCC 15466<SUP>T</SUP>. However, DNA-DNA reassociation values of strain S10<SUP>T</SUP> with Thiomonas perometabolis JCM 20426<SUP>T</SUP> and Thiomonas intermedia JCM 20425<SUP>T</SUP>, its nearest phylogenetic relatives, were 46 and 39%, respectively. On the basis of phenotypic, physiological and chemotaxonomic properties, 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis and DNA-DNA reassociation studies, it is proposed that strain S10<SUP>T</SUP> represents a novel species of the genus Thiomonas, Thiomonas bhubaneswarensis sp. nov.; the type strain is S10<SUP>T</SUP> (=DSM 18181<SUP>T</SUP> =JCM 14806<SUP>T</SUP>)

Biofilm inhibiting properties of compounds from the leaves of Warburgia ugandensis Sprague subsp ugandensis against Candida and staphylococcal biofilms

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Warburgia ugandensis Sprague subspecies ugandensis is a plant widely distributed in Eastern, Central and Southern Africa. In humans, it is used to treat respiratory infections, tooth aches, malaria, skin infections, venereal diseases, diarrhea, fevers and aches. AIM OF THE STUDY: This study aims to identify the bioactive compounds against clinically important biofilm-forming strains of Candida and staphylococci that are responsible for tissue and implanted device-related infections. METHODS: Using a bioassay-guided fractionation approach, hexane -, ethanol -, acetone - and water extracts from the leaves of W. ugandensis, their subsequent fractions and isolated compounds were tested against both developing and preformed 24 h-biofilms of Candida albicans SC5314, Candida glabrata BG2, Candida glabrata ATCC 2001, Staphylococcus epidermidis 1457 and Staphylococcus aureus USA 300 using microtiter susceptibility tests. Planktonic cells were also tested in parallel for comparison purposes. Confocal scanning laser microscopy was also used to visualize effects of isolated compounds on biofilm formation. RESULTS: Warburganal, polygodial and alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) were the major bioactive compounds isolated from the acetone extract of W. ugandensis. For both warburganal and polygodial, the biofilm inhibitory concentration that inhibits 50% of C. albicans developing biofilms (BIC50) was 4.5 ± 1 and 10.8 ± 5 μg/mL respectively. Against S. aureus developing biofilms, this value was 37.9 ± 8 μg/mL and 25 μg/mL with warburganal and ALA respectively. Eradication of preformed 24 h biofilms was also observed. Interestingly, synergy between the sesquiterpenoids and azoles against developing C. albicans biofilms resulted in an approximately ten-fold decrease of the effective concentration required to completely inhibit growth of the biofilms by individual compounds. The hydroxyl group in position C-9 in warburganal was identified as essential for activity against staphylococcal biofilms. We also identified additional promising bioactive sesquiterpenoids; drimenol and drimendiol from the structure-activity relationship (SAR) studies. CONCLUSIONS: ALA and four sesquiterpenoids: polygodial, warburganal, drimenol and drimendiol, have shown biofilm-inhibitory activity that has not been reported before and is worth following up. These compounds are potential drug candidates to manage biofilm-based infections, possibly in combination with azoles.status: publishe