Effects of Silybum marianum L. Seed Extracts on Multi Drug Resistant (MDR) Bacteria.

Wound infections became a great challenge, especially after the emergence of bacterial resistance to commonly used antibiotics. Medicinal plants can be the source of alternative antibacterial agents effective against multi drug resistant (MDR) bacteria. This research aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of different Silybum marianum seed extracts in fighting MDR bacteria that infect wounds. First, thirty purified bacterial cultures obtained from superficial, infected wounds were subjected to antibiotic sensitivity tests. The selected MDR isolates were then used to test the antimicrobial effects of different S. marianum seed extracts. The most potent extract was evaluated for its impact on the ultrastructure of the cells of sensitive bacterial isolates using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The bioactive ingredients of this extract were analyzed by means of gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy (GC-MS). Then, in-silico absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity (ADMET) properties were predicted for the main components. The results indicated that four out of 30 bacterial isolates were considered MDR bacteria. Primary morphological features of colonies, secondary (automatic) identification using the Biomerieux Vitek 2 System, and 16S rRNA sequencing of the four isolates confirmed that they represent Staphylococcus aureus, Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Escherichia coli. Among different extracts of S. marianum seeds, ethanol extract showed the strongest inhibitory effect on both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values between 9.375 and 1.172 mg/mL. However, at concentrations four times higher, this extract was unable to kill bacterial cells, indicating that it had a bacteriostatic effect on the tested MDR strains. TEM revealed denaturation and distorted cell ultrastructure in S. aureus and S. maltophilia after exposure to ethanol extract. In addition, GC-MS analysis of the ethanol extract identified nine compounds known to have important biological activities, and ADMET analysis showed good drug-likeness for two of these compounds. Consequently, S. marianum seeds could be a good source of alternative bacteriostatic agents effective against MDR bacterial strains that cause wound infections.

Chrysanthemum: A Comprehensive Review on Recent Developments on In Vitro Regeneration.

Chrysanthemum is a flowering plant grown worldwide and is one of the most popular ornamental plants. Chrysanthemums are usually cultivated using root suckers and shoot cuttings. This conventional technique is relatively slow. In addition, as cuttings are gained regularly from mother plants, there is a chance of viral infection and degeneration, which raises the production cost. The hurdles mentioned above have been managed by applying in vitro propagation techniques, which can enhance reproduction rates through in vitro culture and use very small explants, which are impossible with the conventional approach. Usually, it is difficult to get true-to-type plants as the parents with good quality, but clonal propagation of a designated elite species makes it possible. Hence, this review highlights recent studies of the in vitro propagation of Chrysanthemum included; the appropriate explant sources, medium compositions, alternative disinfection of culture media, plant growth regulators (PGRs), different mutagenesis applications, acclimatization efficiency, and alternative light sources to overcome the shortcomings of conventional propagation techniques.

Essential Oils as Alternative Promising Anti-Candidal Agents: Progress and Prospects.

Candida albicans is one of the main agents responsible for opportunistic pathogenic infections. The progressive emergence of fungal resistance to conventional antibiotics and its side effects, as well as treatment costs, are considered major limitations for antifungal drugs. It has drawn scientists' attention to the search for potential substitution and reliable therapeutic alternatives for the antifungal compounds from sources like medicinal plants, which contain numerous bioactive compounds such as essential oils. Essential oils (EO), apart from having lower toxicity and better biodegradability, are eco-friendly in nature as compared with conventional antibiotics. Furthermore, extracted essential oils have been reported to possess potent antimicrobial, antiinflammatory, and antioxidant properties that nominate them as promising natural candidates to combat numerous fungal ailments. Thus, the determination of antifungal efficacy of essential oil-bearing plants on Candida spp. will provide miscellaneous knowledge for future clinical studies that are required for the development of new formulations as alternative therapeutic agents to control the growth of Candida species. Therefore, this review summarizes the gist of major essential oils that have been investigated for their anti- Candida potential with some recommendations for further study.