Abstract
BackgroundReproducibility of reported antibacterial activities of plant extracts has long remained questionable. Although plant-related factors should be well considered in serious pharmacognostic research, they are often not addressed in many research papers. Here we highlight the challenges in reproducing antibacterial activities of plant extracts.MethodsPlants with reported antibacterial activities of interest were obtained from a literature review. Antibacterial activities against Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae were tested using extracts’ solutions in 10% DMSO and acetone. Compositions of working solutions from both solvents were established using LC-MS analysis. Moreover, the availability of details likely to affect reproducibility was evaluated in articles which reported antibacterial activities of studied plants.ResultsInhibition of bacterial growth at MIC of 256–1024 μg/mL was observed in only 15.4% of identical plant species. These values were 4–16-fold higher than those reported earlier. Further, 18.2% of related plant species had MICs of 128–256 μg/mL. Besides, 29.2% and 95.8% of the extracts were soluble to sparingly soluble in 10% DMSO and acetone, respectively. Extracts’ solutions in both solvents showed similar qualitative compositions, with differing quantities of corresponding phytochemicals. Details regarding seasons and growth state at collection were missing in 65% and 95% of evaluated articles, respectively. Likewise, solvents used to dissolve the extracts were lacking in 30% of the articles, whereas 40% of them used unidentified bacterial isolates.ConclusionReproducibility of previously reported activities from plants’ extracts is a multi-factorial aspect. Thus, collective approaches are necessary in addressing the highlighted challenges.
Highlights
The discovery of novel antibiotics is urgently needed due to the ongoing challenge of antimicrobial resistance (AMR)
Inhibition of bacterial growth at MIC of 256–1024 μg/mL was observed in only 15.4% of identical plant species
All approaches are mainly driven by the need for achieving novel antibacterial agents with novel chemical structure, target, and mode(s) of action, as well as with the absence of cross-resistance to existing antibiotics [1, 2]
Summary
The discovery of novel antibiotics is urgently needed due to the ongoing challenge of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). All approaches are mainly driven by the need for achieving novel antibacterial agents with novel chemical structure, target, and mode(s) of action, as well as with the absence of cross-resistance to existing antibiotics [1, 2]. Research works ranging from documentation of plants’ ethnobotanical uses to isolation and optimization of lead compounds from plants are common [4, 5]. This constitutes an important part of the search for new antibacterial compounds. These studies report on plant species, parts, nature of the extract, and bacteria species on which antibacterial activity was observed. We highlight the challenges in reproducing antibacterial activities of plant extracts
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