Abstract
Due to their antimicrobial and antiviral activity potential in vitro, polyphenols are gaining a lot of attention from the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries. A novel antiviral and antimicrobial approach could be based on the use of polyphenols obtained from natural sources. Here, we tested the antibacterial and antiviral effect of a mix of polyphenols present in natural almond skin (NS MIX). The antimicrobial potential was evaluated against the standard American Type Culture Collection (ATCC) and clinical strains of Staphylococcus aureus, including methicillin-resistant (MRSA) strains, by minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC). Herpes simplex virus type I was used for the antiviral assessment of NS MIX by plaque assay. Furthermore, we evaluated the expression of viral cascade antigens. NS MIX exhibited antimicrobial (MIC values of 0.31–1.25 mg/ml) and antiviral activity (decrease in the viral titer ** p < 0.01, and viral DNA accumulation * p < 0.05) against Staphylococcus aureus and HSV-1, respectively. Amongst the isolated compounds, the aglycones epicatechin and catechin showed the greatest activity against S. aureus ATCC 6538P (MIC values of 0.078–0.15 and 0.15 mg/ml, respectively), but were not active against all the other strains. These results could be used to develop novel products for topical use.
Highlights
A number of studies have indicated that phytochemicals present in almond (Prunus dulcis L.)skins are associated with beneficial effects on chronic conditions and certain types of cancer [1,2].The distribution of flavonoids and phenolics in almond skins has previously been investigated: The most represented flavonoids are (+)-catechin, (-)-epicatechin, kaempferol, and isorhamnetin, the latter as 3-O-rutinoside or 3-O-glucoside [3,4]
We have previously demonstrated the antimicrobial potential of polyphenol-rich extracts from natural almond skins (NS) and their main isolated compounds: natural and blanched almond skin extracts were active against Listeria monocytogenes and Staphylococcus aureus, whereas Salmonella enterica and Helicobacter pylori were sensitive to natural almond skins [6,7,8]
The aglycones catechin and epicatechin showed the greatest activity against S. aureus American Type Culture Collection (ATCC) 6538P, but were not active against all the other strains
Summary
Skins are associated with beneficial effects on chronic conditions and certain types of cancer [1,2]. The distribution of flavonoids and phenolics in almond skins has previously been investigated: The most represented flavonoids are (+)-catechin, (-)-epicatechin, kaempferol, and isorhamnetin, the latter as 3-O-rutinoside or 3-O-glucoside [3,4]. Almond skin polyphenols were effective against scavenging free radicals and inducing quinone reductase in a dose-dependent way [5]. We have previously demonstrated the antimicrobial potential of polyphenol-rich extracts from natural almond skins (NS) and their main isolated compounds: natural and blanched (resulted from industrial blanching) almond skin extracts were active against Listeria monocytogenes and Staphylococcus aureus, whereas Salmonella enterica and Helicobacter pylori were sensitive to natural almond skins [6,7,8].
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