Abstract
In this study, the anti-QS activity of regional floral honey from the southeast region of Argentina was investigated using the bacterial model (<em>Chromobacterium violaceum</em>. In addition, the anti-QS activity of quercetin, myricetin and luteolin was evaluated in an acidic medium. Two of the tested honey samples had the capacity to exert a notable anti-QS effect on (<em>C. violaceum</em>. The effect of quercetin on the anti-QS activity at pH 5.8 was higher than myricetin and luteolin. The results obtained from the identification of quercetin, myricetin and luteolin of the honey extracts by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) showed that quercetin was the main flavonoid followed by myricetin and luteolin. It was observed that honey with high values of quercetin and high value of free acidity, exerted a greater effect on the inhibition of QS. Thus, we can conclude that an umbral value of pH seems to be necessary to increase the anti-QS activity of quercetin.
Highlights
The current quest for new antimicrobials is nowadays aimed at discovering non-toxic inhibitors of Quorum Sensing (QS) from natural sources which can be used to avoid the growth of bacteria
The color of the honey samples ranged from water white to clear amber and the average value according to Pfund method was 28.36±18.11 mm (Table 1)
Similar results of pH, free acidity and humidity were obtained by Malacalza et al (2005) and Acquarone et al (2007) who studied honey coming from Buenos Aires province
Summary
The current quest for new antimicrobials is nowadays aimed at discovering non-toxic inhibitors of Quorum Sensing (QS) from natural sources which can be used to avoid the growth of bacteria. Quorum Sensing is a signal system of bacteria to determine their population density through the synthesis, release and capture of autoinducers (Bassler, 1999; Brackman et al, 2009). This cell to cell signaling system is mediated by chemical signal molecules. Honey has been considered to have antibacterial activity related to factors such as pH, sugar contents, hydroxide peroxide (H2O2) and the presence of phytochemicals, mainly phenolic compounds including phenolic acid, flavonoids, etc. Truchado et al (2009) had reported that phenolic compounds of monofloral honey contributed to the non-peroxide anti-QS activity. The relationship between acidity and the antiQS activity of major flavonoids was studied
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