Chemical Composition, Antipathogenic and Cytotoxic Activity of the Essential Oil Extracted from Amorpha fruticosa Fruits

Abstract

The purpose of this paper was to characterize and investigate the antimicrobial potential of Amorpha fruticosa fruits essential oil (EO). The EO was extracted by hydrodistillation, analyzed by GC-MS, and then evaluated for its interaction with microbial and mammalian cells. The antimicrobial activity was assessed against bacterial and fungal strains, in a planktonic and adherent growth state, using qualitative and quantitative assays. The main components identified in A. fruticosa fruits EO were δ-cadinene, γ-muurolene, and α-muurolene. The Gram-positive strains proved to be more susceptible than Gram-negative bacteria and fungal strains. The EO exhibited good antibiofilm activity, inhibiting the microbial adherence to the inert (96-well plates and Foley catheter section) and cellular substrata. The flow cytometry analysis revealed as one of the possible mechanisms of antimicrobial action the alteration of cell membrane hydrophobicity. The cytotoxicity on the L929 cell line occurred at concentrations higher than 0.3 mg/mL. Taken together, our results demonstrate that A. fruticosa fruits EO contains active compounds with selective inhibitory effect on different microbial strains in planktonic and biofilm growth state, explained at least partially by the interference with microbial membranes due to their hydrophobic character.

Original Contributions to the Chemical Composition, Microbicidal, Virulence-Arresting and Antibiotic-Enhancing Activity of Essential Oils from Four Coniferous Species

“…Taking into account these aspects, the most recent anti-infective approaches, also called anti-pathogenic or anti-virulence strategies, propose targeting virulence factors expression and biofilm development rather than inhibition of microbial growth or killing the pathogens [6,8]. Despite their superior resistance to antibiotics, biofilm-embedded bacteria seem to be more susceptible than their planktonic counterparts to some EOs, probably because (i) the extracellular matrix of the biofilm adsorbs the active phytocomponents and increases their local concentration; and (ii) the cellular envelope (capsule, cellular wall and membrane) in biofilm cells is different from that of free cells due to differential gene expression in the two growth states and more susceptible to EOs [9].…”

Chemical Profile of the Volatile Constituents and Antimicrobial Activity of the Essential Oils from Croton adipatus, Croton thurifer, and Croton collinus

“…The main reason is the presence of the extracellular membrane in Gram-negative microorganisms, which regulate the passage of hydrophobic components and thus prevents the alteration of the membrane’s permeability [ 46 ]. Likewise, various studies attribute the antimicrobial activity in essential oils to the following components: terpinen-4-ol [ 4 ], α-terpinene [ 47 ], 1,8-cineole [ 48 ], δ-cadinene, γ-muurolene, α-muurolene [ 49 ], β-caryophyllene [ 50 ], β-elemene [ 51 ], germacrene [ 52 ], p-cymene [ 53 ], γ-terpinene [ 54 ], β-myrcene [ 55 ], α-pinene [ 56 ], β-pinene [ 56 ], linalool [ 57 ], α-phellandrene [ 58 ], among others. All these components were found in the essential oils of Croton in our study.…”

Thymus algeriensis and Artemisia herba-alba Essential Oils: Chemical Analysis, Antioxidant Potential and In Vivo Anti-Inflammatory, Analgesic Activities, and Acute Toxicity

“…Essential oils are nowadays considered one the main source of bioactive compounds with enormous health benefits [16,17]. Studies of EOs proved their efficacy against several acute and chronic disease such as ROS, inflammatory related diseases, infectious diseases, and many others [18,19]. This study attempted to evaluate the bioactivity of two plants commonly used in the high Atlas of Morocco, namely T. algeriensis and A. herba-alba in term of antioxidant, analgesic, and anti-inflammatory activities, with an assessment of the plants' toxicity in single and combined mixture.…”