Abstract
Quorum sensing controls bacterial pathogenesis and virulence; hence, interrupting this system renders pathogenic bacteria non-virulent, and presents a novel treatment for various bacterial infections. In the search for novel anti-quorum sensing (AQS) compounds, 14 common culinary herbs and spices were screened for potential antipathogenicity activity against Chromobacterium violaceum ATCC 12472. Extracts of Glycyrrhiza glabra (liquorice), Apium graveolens (celery), Capsicum annuum (cayenne pepper) and Syzygium anisatum (aniseed) demonstrated good AQS potential, yielding opaque halo zones ranging from 12–19 mm diameter at sub-minimum inhibitory concentrations (0.350–4.00 mg/mL). For the same species, the percentage reduction in violacein production ranged from 56.4 to 97.3%. Zones with violacein inhibitory effects were evident in a celery extract analysed using high performance thin layer chromatography-bio-autography. The major active compound was isolated from celery using preparative-high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry and identified using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) as 3-n-butyl-4,5-dihydrophthalide (sedanenolide). Potent opaque zones of inhibition observed on the HPTLC-bio-autography plate seeded with C. violaceum confirmed that sedanenolide was probably largely responsible for the AQS activity of celery. The bacteriocidal properties of many herbs and spices are reported. This study, however, was focussed on AQS activity, and may serve as initial scientific validation for the anti-infective properties ascribed to several culinary herbs and spices.
Highlights
Herbs and spices play a prominent role in the traditional culinary practices of many cultures and are an indispensable part of their daily diets
The extractants methanol and water resulted in higher extraction yields than DCM and ethyl acetate (Table 2)
This was followed by water for Allium sativum, Capsicum annuum and Syzygium aromaticum with 19.1%, 13.9% and 13.2% extract yield, respectively
Summary
Herbs and spices play a prominent role in the traditional culinary practices of many cultures and are an indispensable part of their daily diets. Culinary herbs and spices (in the form of leaves, roots, bark, berries, buds, seeds, stigmas or flowers) impart flavour, aroma and colour to dishes, and have been used for centuries for the preservation of food, including meats, sauces, vegetables, desserts, and in wine making [1,2]. Their main effects are to retard microbial growth and lipid oxidation during storage. The literature reports a clear relationship between the anti-oxidant activity, antibacterial activity and total phenolic content of some herbs and spices [2,6,7].
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