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Special Issue "Antimicrobial Plant Extracts and Phytochemicals"

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A special issue of Antibiotics (ISSN 2079-6382). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant-Derived Antibiotics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 January 2020.

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Marcello Iriti
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Guest Editor

Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Milan State University, Milan, Italy
Interests: crop protection; plant diseases; agrochemicals; abiotic stresses; food production; food security; food safety; global climate change; bioactive phytochemicals; agrochemicals; mycotoxins; medicinal plants; ethnobotany
Special Issues and Collections in MDPI journals

Dr. Elena Maria Varoni
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Guest Editor

Department of Biomedical, Surgical and Dental Sciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
Interests: Oral diseases; Oral health; Bioactive Phytochemicals; Biomaterials; Nanomaterials; Drug delivery systems
Special Issues and Collections in MDPI journals

Dr. Sara Vitalini
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Guest Editor

Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Milan State University, Milan, Italy
Interests: bioactivity; phytochemicals; natural products; ethnobotanical studies; extraction
Special Issues and Collections in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The urgent need for novel antimicrobial drugs to reduce the global burden of infectious diseases has greatly stimulated the exploration of plant products as a source of novel and effective phytotherapeutic agents. Indeed, plant products represent a nearly unlimited source of (multitarget) active ingredients, consisting in complex mixtures of hundreds of different compounds that may be synergistically active once administered. In addition, plant extracts and phytochemicals can be useful in adjuvant therapy to improve the efficacy of conventional antimicrobials, to decrease their adverse effects, and to reverse multidrug resistance, the latter an emerging and very critical topic due to the genetic plasticity and environmental adaptability of pathogenic microorganisms. Not least, selected phytochemicals can also be used as a template for the development of new scaffolds of drugs.

Prof. Dr. Marcello Iriti
Dr. Elena Maria Varoni
Dr. Sara Vitalini
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All papers will be peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Antibiotics is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

plant products
marine plant products
antibiotics
fungicides
antibacterial agents
antifungal/antimycotic agents
crop protection
pesticides
antibiotic resistance
multi-drug resistance
cross-resistance
ethnopharmacology
preclinical (in vitro/in vivo) studies
clinical/in human studies
evidence-based medicine
systematic reviews & meta-analyses

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

Open AccessArticle

Photoinduced Antibacterial Activity of the Essential Oils from Eugenia brasiliensis Lam and Piper mosenii C. DC. by Blue Led Light

Antibiotics 2019, 8(4), 242; https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics8040242 - 28 Nov 2019

Abstract

The objective of this work was to evaluate the phytochemical composition and the antibacterial and antibiotic-modulating activities of the essential oils of Eugenia brasiliensis Lam (OEEb) and Piper mosenii C. DC (OEPm) singly or in association with blue LED (Light-emitting diode) light. The antibacterial and antibiotic-modulatory activities of the essential oils on the activity of aminoglycosides were evaluated to determine the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC, μg/mL) in the presence or absence of exposure to blue LED light. The chemical analysis showed α-pinene and bicyclogermacrene as major constituents of OEPm, whereas α-muurolol was the main compound of OEEb. Both OEEb and OEPm showed MIC ≥ 512 μg/mL against the strains under study. However, the association of these oils with the blue LED light enhanced the action of the aminoglycosides amikacin and gentamicin. In conclusion, the association of aminoglycosides with the blue LED light and essential oils was effective against resistant bacteria. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Antimicrobial Plant Extracts and Phytochemicals)

Open AccessArticle

UPLC-MS-ESI-QTOF Analysis and Antifungal Activity of the Spondias tuberosa Arruda Leaf and Root Hydroalcoholic Extracts

Antonia Thassya Lucas dos Santos ,

Joara Nályda Pereira Carneiro ,

Rafael Pereira da Cruz ,

Débora Lima Sales ,

Jacqueline Cosmo Andrade ,

Waltécio de Oliveira Almeida ,

José Galberto Martins da Costa ,

Paulo Riceli Vasconcelos Ribeiro ,

Edy Sousa de Brito ,

Francisco Lucas Alves Batista ,

Francisco Ernani Alves Magalhães ,

Marcello Iriti ,

Maria Flaviana Bezerra Morais-Braga and

Henrique Douglas Melo Coutinho

Antibiotics 2019, 8(4), 240; https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics8040240 - 28 Nov 2019

Abstract

The aim of this study was to identify and evaluate the chemical compositions and effects of the S. tuberosa leaf and root hydroalcoholic extracts (HELST and HERST) against different strains of Candida. Chemical analysis was performed by Ultra-Performance Liquid Chromatography Coupled to Quadrupole/Time of Flight System (UPLC-MS-ESI-QTOF). The Inhibitory Concentration of 50% of the growth (IC₅₀₎ as well as the intrinsic and combined action of the extracts with the antifungal fluconazole (FCZ) were determined by the microdilution method while the minimum fungicidal concentrations (MFCs) and the effect on fungal morphological transitions were analyzed by subculture and in humid chambers, respectively. From the preliminary phytochemical analysis, the phenols and flavonoids were the most abundant. The intrinsic IC₅₀ values for HELST ranged from 5716.3 to 7805.8 µg/mL and from 6175.4 to 51070.9 µg/mL for the HERST, whereas the combination of the extracts with fluconazole presented IC₅₀ values from 2.65 to 278.41 µg/mL. The MFC of the extracts, individually, for all the tested strains was ≥16384 µg/mL. When fluconazole was combined with each extract, the MFC against CA URM 5974 was reduced (HELST: 2048 and HERST: 4096 µg/mL). Synergism was observed against standard C. albicans (CA) and C. tropicalis (CT) strains and with the root extract against the CT isolate. The leaf extract inhibited the morphological transition of all strains while the root extract inhibited only CT strains. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Antimicrobial Plant Extracts and Phytochemicals)

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Open AccessArticle

In Vitro Antibacterial Activity and Mechanism of Vanillic Acid against Carbapenem-Resistant Enterobacter cloacae

Weidong Qian ,

Yuting Fu ,

Miao Liu ,

Ting Wang ,

Jianing Zhang ,

Min Yang ,

Zhaohuan Sun ,

Xiang Li and

Yongdong Li

Antibiotics 2019, 8(4), 220; https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics8040220 - 13 Nov 2019

Abstract

Vanillic acid (VA) is a flavoring agent found in edible plants and fruits. Few recent studies exhibited robust antibacterial activity of VA against several pathogen microorganisms. However, little was reported about the effect of VA on carbapenem-resistant Enterobacter cloacae (CREC). The purpose of the current study was to assess in vitro antimicrobial and antibiofilm activities of VA against CREC. Here, minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of VA against CREC was determined via gradient diffusion method. Furthermore, the antibacterial mode of VA against CREC was elucidated by measuring changes in intracellular adenosine triphosphate (ATP) concentration, intracellular pH (pH_in), cell membrane potential and membrane integrity. In addition, antibiofilm formation of VA was measured by crystal violet assay and visualized with field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). The results showed that MIC of VA against E. cloacae was 600 μg/mL. VA was capable of inhibiting the growth of CREC and destroying the cell membrane integrity of CREC, as confirmed by the decrease of intracellular ATP concentration, pH_in and membrane potential as well as distinctive variation in cellular morphology. Moreover, crystal violet staining, FESEM and CLSM results indicated that VA displayed robust inhibitory effects on biofilm formation of CREC and inactivated biofilm-related CREC cells. These findings revealed that VA exhibits potent antibacterial activity against CREC, and thus has potential to be exploited as a natural preservative to control the CREC associated infections. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Antimicrobial Plant Extracts and Phytochemicals)

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Figure 1

Open AccessArticle

Decoding Antioxidant and Antibacterial Potentials of Malaysian Green Seaweeds: Caulerpa racemosa and Caulerpa lentillifera

Wing-Fai Yap ,

Vangene Tay ,

Sie-Hui Tan ,

Yoon-Yen Yow and

Jactty Chew

Antibiotics 2019, 8(3), 152; https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics8030152 - 17 Sep 2019

Abstract

Seaweeds are gaining a considerable amount of attention for their antioxidant and antibacterial properties. Caulerpa racemosa and Caulerpa lentillifera, also known as ‘sea grapes’, are green seaweeds commonly found in different parts of the world, but the antioxidant and antibacterial potentials of Malaysian C. racemosa and C. lentillifera have not been thoroughly explored. In this study, crude extracts of the seaweeds were prepared using chloroform, methanol, and water. Total phenolic content (TPC) and total flavonoid content (TFC) were measured, followed by in vitro antioxidant activity determination using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging assay. Antibacterial activities of these extracts were tested against Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and neuropathogenic Escherichia coli K1. Liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LCMS) analysis was then used to determine the possible compounds present in the extract with the most potent antioxidant and antibacterial activity. Results showed that C. racemosa chloroform extract had the highest TPC (13.41 ± 0.86 mg GAE/g), antioxidant effect (EC₅₀ at 0.65 ± 0.03 mg/mL), and the strongest antibacterial effect (97.7 ± 0.30%) against MRSA. LCMS analysis proposed that the chloroform extracts of C. racemosa are mainly polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fatty acids, terpenes, and alkaloids. In conclusion, C. racemosa can be a great source of novel antioxidant and antibacterial agents, but isolation and purification of the bioactive compounds are needed to study their mechanism of action. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Antimicrobial Plant Extracts and Phytochemicals)

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