Abstract
Glucosinolates (GLs) are natural compounds present in species of the order Brassicales and precursors of bioactive isothiocyanates (ITCs). In the recent years, they have been studied mainly for their chemopreventive as well as novel chemotherapeutics properties. Among them 4-(α-L-rhamnosyloxy)benzyl glucosinolate (glucomoringin; GMG), purified from seeds of Moringa oleifera Lam., a plant belonging to the Moringaceae family, represents an uncommon member of the GL family with peculiar characteristics. This short communication reports new evidences about the properties of GMG and presents a new innovative utilization of the molecule. The bioactivation of GMG by myrosinase enzyme just before treatment, permits to maximize the power of the final product of the reaction, which is the 4-(α-L-rhamnosyloxy)benzyl isothiocyanate (GMG-ITC). We tested the antibiotic activity of this latter compound on two strains of pathogens affecting the health of patients in hospital, namely Staphylococcus aureus and Enterococcus casseliflavus, and on the yeast Candida albicans. Results show that the sensibility of S. aureus BAA-977 strain and E. casseliflavus to GMG-ITC treatment reveals an important possible application of this molecule in the clinical care of patients, more and more often resistant to traditional therapies.
Highlights
The aim of this work was to extend and consolidate some well known applications of a naturally occurring compound present in Moringa oleifera Lam. in the treatment of the most common clinical infections
In a previous study performed in 1991, the in vitro antimicrobial activities of M. oleifera leaves, roots, bark and seeds were investigated against bacteria, yeast, dermatophytes and helminths pathogenic to humans [10]
Our current aim was to perform in vitro studies to assess the antibiotic capability of the new composition of GMG bioactivated with myrosinase (Scheme 1) against some Gram positive bacteria and the most common yeast that causes serious infections, C. albicans
Summary
The aim of this work was to extend and consolidate some well known applications of a naturally occurring compound present in Moringa oleifera Lam. in the treatment of the most common clinical infections. GMG is a typical secondary metabolite present in plants belonging to the Moringa genus that consists of 14 species, among which M. oleifera (horseradish tree) is the most widely distributed. The medical value of the seeds and other parts of the plant has long been recognized in folk medicine and different extracts have been tested as anticancer, anti-inflammatory, and hepato-protective agents [4,5], and for their antimicrobial activity [6,7]. These properties are mainly attributed to the glycosylated isothiocyanate (ITC), 4-(α-L-rhamnosyloxy)benzyl
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