Bioprospecting Three Plants from the Tropical Rainforest as Potential Antimicrobial Adjuvants

• Main Author: Nitsch?Velasquez, Lucia
• Language: EN
• Published: State University of New York at Buffalo 2019
• Subjects: Agronomy|Microbiology|Chemistry
• Online Access: http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=13428243

<p> The &lsquo;resistance bacteria era&rsquo; is intrinsically related to the hospital acquired infections (HAI). The most frequent HAI causal agent in USA is multidrug resistant <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> (MRSA) a priority of the Center for Disease Control for development for development of new drug treatments. A HAI key treatment is the oto and nephrotoxic aminoglycosides. One strategy is to enhance the antibiotic activity of antibiotics by combination with NPs, <i>e.g.</i>, amoxicillin and the beta&ndash;lactamase inhibitor clavulanate. </p><p> Solutions for this urgent worldwide need can derive from bioprospecting species, specially from biodiversity rich countries <i>e.g.</i>, the Guatemalan rainforests. Bioprospecting studies are envisioned under a business framework that are economic, social and eco&ndash;sustainable in the long term. </p><p> The enhancement of the bactericidal activity of commercially available aminoglycosides (<i>_GEN</i>, VAN) by polar extracts from three Guatemalan rain forest plants were evaluated: the cosmetic oil producer palm <i>Attalea cohune</i> (Ac and fraction Ac11k), the Catholic relic <i>Bourreria huanita</i> (Bh), and the food spice <i> Dysphania ambrosioides</i> (Da). The antibiotics&rsquo; minimal bactericidal concentration (MBC) against MRSA&ndash;USA&ndash;300: Ac11k was reduced to 1/16MBC<i>_GEN</i> at 9.9 Ac11k mg/mL (synergistic effects), and to 1/2MBC<i>_VAN</i> at 94 Ac11k mg/mL (additive effects), and to 1/4MBC<i>_GEN</i> at 136 mg/mL ethanolic extract of Bh. The Da&ndash;ascaridol&ndash;less leaves&rsquo; extracts reduced <i> Erwinia carotovora</i> doubling time from 17 min to 12.5 min. hinting out that they may be potentially useful for the probiotics&rsquo; industry. </p><p> With an emphasis in natural products dereplication by chemoinformatics tools, the experimental data gathered (HR&ndash;MS, FTIR, ¹H&ndash;NMR spectroscopies) and the computational&ndash;assisted structure elucidation scheme were applied to derive the proposed structure of a new chemical entity probably present in Ac11k sample, Corozine A: a non&ndash;basic alkaloid with several putative ring types: (Z)-4-ethyl-1,2,6,7- tetrahydro-6,9-(methanoazenometheno)pyrrolo[2,1-d][1,5]oxazonine. Two additional potential targets related to sugars metabolism were found with ligand similarity search engines. </p><p> Corozine A and the other extracts studied are of interest for further research to improve its commercial exploitation. The vision of new commercial products derived from <i>A. cohune</i> would require a pilot project that re&ndash;engineers the extraction of fatty acids, essential oil, and alkaloids from the same raw material. </p><p>