Antibacterial, Antibiofilm and Antioxidant Activities of some Medicinal Plants from Pharmacopoeia of Tassili N’ajjer

Abdelkader Benhelima,Rabea Sahki,Zohra Kaid-Omar,Olivier Vidal,Jean-Marie Lacroix

doi:10.22207/jpam.14.3.22

Abstract

Three plants adopted by nomads at Tassili n’ajjer (south Algeria) in traditional medicine namely, Cymbopogon schoenanthus, Anabasis articulata and Salvia chudaei, were analysed for theirs antibacterial, antibiofilm and antioxidant properties. Total flavonoid and phenolic contents were measured with 2% AlCl3 and Folin-Ciocalteu’s reagent method, respectively. The antibacterial propertie was investigated by measurement of MIC of plants extract inhibing bacterial proliferation. The antibiofilm propertie was calculated by fluorescent quantization of the DAPI labeled bacterial biomass fixed on the surface and by COMSTAT analysis of confocal scanning laser microscopy (CSLM) images. DPPH radical scavenging and β-carotene/linoleate bleaching methods were used to determine the antioxidant activities of the plants. Total phenolic content was ranged from 21.98 to 2.51 (gallic acid equivalents mg/g methanolic extracts) and the total flavonoid content ranged from 19.27 to 1.65 (catechin equivalent mg/g methanolic extracts). Antibacterial activity against four Gram positive bacteria was shown with plants extracts. The biofilm inhibition concentration of extracts decreasing 50% of biofilm cell density (BIC50) for Salvia chudaei and Cymbopogon schoenanthus extracts ranges from 1 to 10 µg/mL. CSLM images analysis revealed that both surface covering by germ and three dimensional development of the biofilm were reduced with plants extracts. For antioxidant activities, the methanol extracts of the plants evaluated showed low antioxidant activity, with a IC50 between 1.94 and 6.16 mg/ml. Thus, Our systematic research showed that this three common plants of Sahara desert has diversified phytochemicals possessing satisfying extent of antimicrobial, antibiofilm and antioxidant activities.

Highlights

Resistance to antibacterial molecules is a growing significant public health problem[1]
Phytochemical tests of Anabasis articulata (Aa) Cymbopogon schoenanthus (Cs) and Salvia Chudaei (Sc) extracts showed the existence of saponins, flavonoids and tannins (Table 2)
Values were expressed as mg gallic acid equivalent/g methanolic extract (GAE mg/g) (Table 3)

Summary

Introduction

Resistance to antibacterial molecules is a growing significant public health problem[1]. Even if a more accurate use of these molecules is required, discovery of new antibacterial compounds seems to be unavoidable. It is true that, germs can generate biofilms whatever can form a sort of sticky gel, that forms its passage into various situations ranging from clinical to forming firms, and habitats where water and food are prepared and opportioned. These biofilms have learned activity to oppose antibiotics[2]. Several ways of research must be taken to isolate active substances such as synthetic chemistry, or extraction of molecules isolated from microorganisms, fungi, algue, invertebrates or plants (peptides, phenolic compounds...). One of them is to identify the antimicrobial active substances of plants known for their use in traditional medicine[3,4,5]

Methods

Results

Conclusion