Abstract
Antibiotic resistance of pathogenic strains has hugely contributed to the wide spread of new and re-emerging infectious diseases. There is thus the need for the discovery of new (non-penicillin based) antibiotics. The triterpenes [3β-hydroxylanosta-9,24-dien-21-oic acid (1) and methyl-3β-hydroxylanosta-9,24-dienoate (2)] isolated from stem bark of Protorhus longifolia (Benrh.) Engl. were evaluated for their antibacterial activity against a panel of selected general and antibiotic resistant Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria. The antibacterial activity of the compounds was determined using disc diffusion method. The compounds exhibited antibacterial activity against most of the tested bacteria with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) values ranging from 0.16 to 5.00 mg/ml and 0.63 to 5.00 mg/ml, respectively. The triterpenes did not exhibit any bacterial DNA damaging effects, but apparently affected the microbial cell membrane integrity. The triterpenes could be a potentially effective antimicrobial agent to combat infectious diseases. Key words: Triterpenes, antibacterial activity, antibiotic resistance, DNA damage.
Highlights
Pathogenic microorganisms are the major cause of a wide range of infectious diseases, with high rate of mortality in humans resulting from bacterial infections (Tajbakhsh et al, 2011)
This challenge has triggered a search for new effective antimicrobial compounds with novel mechanisms of action (Rojas et al, 2003; Zakaria et al, 2009)
The wide chemical diversity of plant-derived compounds is important in the development of effective agents to combat infectious diseases resistant to conventional drugs
Summary
Pathogenic microorganisms are the major cause of a wide range of infectious diseases, with high rate of mortality in humans resulting from bacterial infections (Tajbakhsh et al, 2011). Despite great progress made in the discovery of antibiotics, the development of bacterial resistance to some of the current antibiotics is a serious global challenge (Hoffmann et al, 2011; Chung et al, 2013). This challenge has triggered a search for new effective antimicrobial compounds with novel mechanisms of action (Rojas et al, 2003; Zakaria et al, 2009). The wide chemical diversity of plant-derived compounds is important in the development of effective agents to combat infectious diseases resistant to conventional drugs (de León et al, 2005). Stem bark of the plant has been traditionally used by the Zulus
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