Abstract
The development of antibiotic resistance by microbials has long been acknowledged. The major challenge worldwide is to develop novel, natural, and potent antibiotics against the multidrug resistant bacteria. In this study, our aim was to develop the method for a highly sensitive instrument, ultra-high performance liquid chromatograph-high resolution mass spectrometer (UHPLC-HRMS), to evaluate the antibacterial property of a natural product. Aechmea magdalenae (Andre) Andre ex Baker, a plant belonging to the family Bromeliaceae, a native of Central America was used in this study. Based on the available literature, it was hypothesized that Aechmea magdalenae has antibacterial activity. In addition, the profiling done on A. magdalenae using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) also revealed the presence of medicinally important chemical compounds, such as acetic acid. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of dried Aechmea plant extract was determined for the first time using 96-well plate assay, followed by determination of antibacterial potential using LC-MS. The reason being that other dried methanolic plant extracts, such as Vismia macrophylla, lined up for antibacterial testing have dark extracts, for which determining the antibacterial potential and reading the results with the naked eye would be challenging. To overcome the situation of dark plant extracts, a generalized novel LC-MS method was developed that was used for the plant A. magdalenae, and would be used further for other plants. A blue indicator called resazurin was added to the wells; resazurin, upon incubation with the living cells, got reduced to resorufin (which was pink), while it remained blue with bacterial growth inhibition. The mass difference created due to reduction of resazurin to resorufin was detected by using LTQ Orbitrap Discovery in positive ion mode to determine the antibacterial activity of the plant extract. The sample preparation for LC-MS assay included centrifugation of the samples taken from 96-well plate, followed by filtration of the supernatant, before exposing them to C-18 column. The results obtained from full scan LC-MS spectrum consistently demonstrated the presence of resorufin from wells with bacterial growth, and resazurin from wells with inhibition through peaks of relevant masses.
Highlights
Medicines obtained from traditional plants are called phytomedicines
Since gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) profiling showed the higher concentration of acetic acid in the Aechmea sample, antibacterial activity of acetic acid was tested using nutrient agar plates streaked according to 0.5 McFarland adjusted bacteria
The purpose of this study was to develop the method to determine the antibacterial potential of the dark-colored plant extracts when mixed with indicator in a 96-well plate
Summary
Medicines obtained from traditional plants are called phytomedicines. The phytomedicines have long been used after several generations of trial and error [1]. The medicinal plants contain certain chemical compounds responsible for their antimicrobial activity [2]. Aechmea magdalenae (Andre) Andre ex Baker, is a plant falling under the family Bromeliaceae, which is a native of Central. The literature availability for the antibacterial activity of this species has been limited, the documented research revealed the use of A. magdalenae as caustic for wounds [3]. It was hypothesized that plant A. magdalenae has antibacterial properties. The ethnobotanical approach has proved to be advantageous while finding new drug candidates
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
