ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: This study describes the qualitative and quantitative analysis of galantamine in Sternbergia species growing in Turkey. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Galantamine was isolated from Sternbergia fischeriana bulbs and the structure of the compound elucidated by spectroscopic methods. The qualitative and quantitative analysis of galantamine was investigated in Sternbergia lutea subsp. lutea, S. lutea subsp. sicula, Sternbergia candida, S. fischeriana, and Sternbergia clusiana using a specially developed and validated high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method. RESULTS: S. lutea subsp. sicula had the highest content of galantamine, i.e., 0.0165±0.0002 g/100 g. The limits of detection and quantification were 7.5 µg and 25 µg, respectively. CONCLUSION: Isolation of galantamine from S. fischeriana growing in Turkey is reported for the first time. An HPLC method was developed for identification and quantification of galantamine in Sternbergia species.
ABSTRACT
Natural products are rapidly becoming the primary sources of novel antimicrobial agents, as resistance to existing antimicrobial agents is increasing. Apart from determining the antimicrobial activity of natural products, it is also important to understand their effects on the virulence factors of microorganisms. This study aimed to determine the antimicrobial activity of Sternbergia species prevalent in Turkey and investigate their role in the inhibition of germination tube and biofilm formation, both of which are known to be important virulence factors of Candida albicans. The antimicrobial activities of the plant extracts were evaluated using bore-plate and broth microdilution method. The extracts' capacity to inhibit the formation of the germ-tube was also evaluated. The findings of our study revealed that Sternbergia lutea, Sternbergia vernalis possessed antimicrobial activities, with MIC values ranging between 0.048 mg/mL and 0.39 mg/mL. The highest antimicrobial activity was observed against Candida dubliniensis (0.048 mg/mL). While evaluating the inhibition of fungal germination activities, S. vernalis extract (at a concentration of 0.09 mg/mL) was found to be the most effective against C. albicans ATCC 90028 strain. The results also indicated that S. vernalis extracts at sub-MIC levels inhibited germ tube formation and modulated the tail-length of germinated cells, both of which are important virulence factors of C. albicans. Furthermore, the inhibition of biofilm-formation was also investigated, and it was found that two Sternbergia spp. extracts at or below MIC levels inhibited biofilm formation.