Antibacterial and cytotoxicity evaluation of Arum hygrophilum Bioss.

OBJECTIVE: Arum hygrophilum Bioss is a plant native to Asia, Europe, and Northern Africa. It is consumed as beverages, spices, or cooked leaves to cure gastrointestinal infections and cancer. This study aims to determine the antibacterial and anticancer effectivenesss of A. hygrophilum Bioss. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Using the well-diffusion method, the antimicrobial activity of the plant's aqueous extract and five other organic extracts were evaluated against bacteria often associated with food poisoning. The assessment of the antiproliferative activity by the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay was done on five cancerous cell lines and on fibroblasts as a reference cell line. RESULTS: The growth of L. monocytogenes was significantly inhibited by the aqueous and ethanolic extracts. Both extracts had a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 62.5 mg/mL. The inhibition caused by the methanolic extract had a MIC of 500 mg/mL. The growth of S. aureus and MRSA were inhibited by the aqueous extract with a MIC of 500 mg/mL, while the inhibition caused by the ethanolic extract had a MIC of 250 mg/mL on MRSA and 500 mg/mL on S.aureus. Both strains of S.aureus were also inhibited by the 3-pentanon extract, while the butanol extract only exhibited a moderate growth inhibition against MRSA. The MTT assay showed that the aqueous extract had not affected the proliferation of cancer cell lines. The cytotoxicity of the ethanolic and methanolic extracts had no concentration-inhibition relationship and the IC50 values were above 800 µg/mL for all extracts. CONCLUSIONS: L. monocytogenes, S. aureus, and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) were inhibited by different Arum extracts. The antibacterial activity of Arum hygrophilum Bioss against foodborne pathogens makes it safe to use as a natural food preservative, and as a source for sanitizers and antimicrobials. Further investigation is recommended to determine the cytotoxicity of the plant against additional cancer cell lines.

Potential Antiproliferative Activity and Evaluation of Essential Oil Composition of the Aerial Parts of Tamarix aphylla (L.) H.Karst.: A Wild Grown Medicinal Plant in Jordan.

Essential (volatile) oil from aerial parts of Tamarix aphylla (L.) H.Karst. (Tamaricaceae) grown wild in Jordan was hydrodistilled by Clevenger apparatus and analyzed by means of GC and GC-MS techniques. In vitro screening of potential cytotoxicity of the aqueous (AE) and ethanol (EE) extracts was also evaluated against human breast adenocarcinoma (MCF-7), colorectal adenocarcinoma (Caco-2), and pancreatic carcinoma (Panc-1) cancer cell lines as well as normal human fibroblasts. GC-MS analysis of T. aphylla EO revealed its richness in nonterpenoid nonaromatic hydrocarbons (52.39%), with predominance of 6,10,14-trimethyl-2-pentadecanone as the principal component. Biologically, the plant extracts exhibited cytotoxicity effects in dose-dependent manner against most of the tested cell lines, but potent effects were only predicted against MCF-7 cells with IC50 values of 2.17 ± 0.10 and 26.65 ± 3.09 µg/mL for T. aphylla AE and EE, respectively. T. aphylla AE demonstrated a comparable cytotoxic effect with that offered by the control drug cisplatin (IC50 value of 1.17 ± 0.13 µg/mL), even with higher safety profile against normal fibroblast cells (IC50 values of T. aphylla AE versus cisplatin: 79.99 ± 4.90 versus 9.08 ± 0.29 µg/mL). T. aphylla extracts could be a valuable source for cytotoxic agents with high safety and selective cytotoxicity profiles. Unfortunately, no antiproliferative potential against Caco-2 or Panc-1 cancer cell lines was detected at a concentration less than 30 µg/mL.

The assessment of the antibacterial and antifungal activities of aspirin, EDTA and aspirin-EDTA combination and their effectiveness as antibiofilm agents.

AIMS: To evaluate the antimicrobial activities of aspirin, EDTA and an aspirin-EDTA (A-EDTA) combination against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli and Candida albicans in planktonic and biofilm cultures. METHODS AND RESULTS: Minimal inhibitory concentrations (MIC) and minimal biocidal concentrations (MBC) were determined using twofold broth microdilution and viable counting methods, respectively. Aspirin's recorded MIC values ranged from 1.2 to 2.7 mg ml(-1). Checkerboard assay demonstrated a synergism in antimicrobial activity upon combination. Aspirin's minimal biofilm eradication concentration values (MBEC) against the established biofilms ranged between 1.35 and 3.83 mg ml(-1). A complete eradication of bacterial biofilms was achieved after a 4-h treatment with the A-EDTA combination. CONCLUSION: Both aspirin and EDTA possess broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity for both planktonic and biofilm cultures. Aspirin used at the MBEC for 24 h was successful in eradicating P. aeruginosa, E. coli and C. albicans biofilms established on abiotic surfaces. Moreover, the exposure to the A-EDTA combination (4 h) effected complete bacterial biofilm eradication. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: There is a continuous need for the discovery of new antimicrobial agents. Aspirin and EDTA are 'nonantibiotic drugs', the combination of which can be used successfully to treat and eradicate biofilms established on abiotic surfaces.

The desorption process of macromolecules adsorbed on interfaces: the force spectroscopy approach.

They're flexible and sticky: While investigations of the very stiff DNA molecular conformation on surfaces have been made, the equivalent for more typical macromolecules is complicated by their shorter persistance length. A gentle detachment study with a polymer bound to an SFM tip allows the forces between the polymer and surface to be probed; the detachement force required depends on the surface conformation, whether only a small loop or a long tail must be peeled from the surface, as shown by the cartoon.