In Vitro Bacteriostatic Activity of Five Chinese Herbal Medicines against Two Common Pathogens of Scylla serrata

[ Objective] To investigate the in vitro bacteriostatic activity of Chinese herbal medicines （ rhubarb, Baikal skullcap root, honeysuckle, eucommia bark and Chinese date） and their compounds against two common pathogens of Scylla serrata （ Vibrio parahaemolyticus and Aeromonas hydrophila）. [Method] Drug sensitivity of the bacteria was determined by paper method. Minimum inhibitory concentration （MIC） and minimum bactericidal concentration （MBC） were determined by dilution method and plate method, respectively. [Result] The bacteriostatic order of single medicines on V. parahaemolyticus were Baikal skullcap root 〉 honeysuckle 〉 rhubarb 〉 Chinese date 〉 eucommia bark. The bacteriostatic order of the compounds were A =B = C 〉 D. Among these medicines, the Baikal skullcap root and the compounds A, B, C and D had better bactericidal effects on V. parahaemolyticus. The bacteriostatic order of single medicines on A. hydrophila was rhubarb 〉 Baikal skullcap root 〉 honeysuckle 〉 Chinese date 〉 eucommia bark. The bacteriostatic order of the compounds were A 〉 B 〉 C = D, while the rhubarb and the compound C had better bactericidal effects on A. hydrophila. [ Conclusion] The Chinese herbal medicines including rhubarb, Baikal skullcap root, honeysuckle, eucommia bark and Chinese date have good bacteriostatic effects on V. parahaemolyticus and A. hydrophila, and they can be used to treat bacterial infection in Scylla serrata.

Antibacterial Activity and Mechanisms of Ethanol Extracts from Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi and Magnolia officinalis against Phytophthora nicotianae

Phytophthora nicotianae causes substantial economic losses in most countries where tobacco is produced.At present,the control of P.nicotianae mainly depends on chemical methods,with considerable environmental and health issues.We investigated the effects of ethanol extracts from Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi(SBG)and Magnolia officinalis(MO).On mycelial growth,sporangium formation,and zoospore release of P.nicotianae.Both extracts inhibited the growth of P.nicotianae,with mycelial growth inhibition rates of 88.92%and 93.92%,respectively,at 40 mg/mL,and EC50 values of 5.39 and 5.74 mg/mL,respectively.The underlying mechanisms were the inhibition of sporangium formation,the reduction of zoospore number,and the destruction of the mycelium structure.At an SBG extract concentration of 16.17 mg/mL,the inhibition rates for sporangia and zoospores were 98.66%and 99.39%,respectively.At an MO extract concentration of 2.87 mg/mL,the production of sporangia and zoospores was completely inhibited.The hyphae treated with the two plant extracts showed different degrees of deformation and damage.Hyphae treated with SBG extract showed adhesion and local swelling,whereas treatment with MO extract resulted in broken hyphae.Mixture of the extracts resulted in a good synergistic effect.

Antibacterial Activity of Plants in Cirsium:A Comprehensive Review

As ethnic medicine,the whole grass of plants in Cirsium was used as antimicrobial.This review focuses on the antimicrobial activity of plants in Cirsium,including antimicrobial components,against different types of microbes and bacteriostatic mechanism.The results showed that the main antimicrobial activity components in Cirsium plants were flavonoids,triterpenoids and phenolic acids,and the antimicrobial ability varied according to the species and the content of chemicals.Among them,phenolic acids showed a strong antibacterial ability against Acinetobacter baumannii,Pseudomonas aeruginosa,and Enterococcus faecium.The antibacterial mechanisms include:(1)damaging the cell membrane,cell walls,mitochondria and nucleus of bacteria;(2)inhibiting the synthesis of proteins and nucleic acids;(3)suppressing the synthesis of enzymes for tricarboxylic acid cycle pathways and glycolysis,and then killing the bacteria via inhibition of energy production.Totally,most research results on antimicrobial activity of Cirsium plants are reported based on in vitro assays.The evidence from clinical data and comprehensive evaluation are needed.

Fungi with potential probiotic properties isolated from Fuzhuan brick tea

Several of the fungal species associated with Fuzhuan brick tea(FBT)are considered as potential probiotics,but few studies have investigated the probiotic properties of these fungi.Here,we isolated 18 fungal strains from two types of FBT and identified these strains based on internal transcribed spacer(ITS)fragment sequence similarity to reference strains(sequence similarity>98%).Of the 18 strains,10 tolerated simulated human digestive conditions for sufficient periods in vitro:pH 2-3,0.3%-0.5%(m/V)bile salts,and artificial gastrointestinal juices.We then measured the antimicrobial activity of the remaining 10 strains against 5 enteropathogenic bacteria and tested the bacteriostatic effects of the thalli and fermentation broth extracts.Of the 6 strains with strong bacteriostatic effects,we eliminated Eurotium cristatum S-9 due to its low hydrophobicity of(26.12±0.35)%.Finally,2 exhibited good adhesion abilities to human cells(>100%).Notably,2 strains can survive in vivo,because they can be isolated from C57BL/6 mice feces.Thus,2 strains,Aspergillus cristatus H-1 and A.cristatus H-5,are herein identified as promising candidate probiotic strains.It may be put forward a novel research focus on evaluating potential probiotic fungi from FBT.

Preparation and Quality Evaluation of Salicylic Acid Gel

Taking salicylic acid as the active ingredient and 10%sodium hydroxide aqueous solution as the neutralizer,the best matrix for preparing gel was screened,and the salicylic acid aqueous gel was prepared.The properties,pH value and viscosity were determined,and the stability,antibacterial activity and irritation were evaluated.The experimental results showed that the best gel matrix was cellulose,which had the best stability,could increase the solubility of salicylic acid in gel preparations,solved the problem of easy precipitation of salicylic acid crystals,enhanced the antibacterial activity,and reduced irritation,providing a reference for the application of salicylic acid in cosmetics.

Micro/nano-structured TiO2 surface with dual-functional antibacterial effects for biomedical applications

Implant-associated infections are generally difficult to cure owing to the bacterial antibiotic resistance which is attributed to the widespread usage of antibiotics.Given the global threat and increasing influence of antibiotic resistance,there is an urgent demand to explore novel antibacterial strategies other than using antibiotics.Recently,using a certain surface topography to provide a more persistent antibacterial solution attracts more and more attention.However,the clinical application of biomimetic nano-pillar array is not satisfactory,mainly because its antibacterial ability against Gram-positive strain is not good enough.Thus,the pillar array should be equipped with other antibacterial agents to fulfill the bacteriostatic and bactericidal requirements of clinical application.Here,we designed a novel model substrate which was a combination of periodic micro/nano-pillar array and TiO2 for basically understanding the topographical bacteriostatic effects of periodic micro/nano-pillar array and the photocatalytic bactericidal activity of TiO2.Such innovation may potentially exert the synergistic effects by integrating the persistent topographical antibacterial activity and the non-invasive X-ray induced photocatalytic antibacterial property of TiO2 to combat against antibiotic-resistant implant-associated infections.First,to separately verify the topographical antibacterial activity of TiO2 periodic micro/nano-pillar array,we systematically investigated its effects on bacterial adhesion,growth,proliferation,and viability in the dark without involving the photocatalysis of TiO2.The pillar array with sub-micron motif size can significantly inhibit the adhesion,growth,and proliferation of Staphylococcus aureus(S.aureus)and Escherichia coli(E.coli).Such antibacterial ability is mainly attributed to a spatial confinement size-effect and limited contact area availability generated by the special topography of pillar array.Moreover,the pillar array is not lethal to S.aureus and E.coli in 24 h.Then,the X-ray induced photocatalytic antibacterial property of TiO2 periodic micro/nano-pillar array in vitro and in vivo will be systematically studied in a future work.This study could shed light on the direction of surface topography design for future medical implants to combat against antibiotic-resistant implant-associated infections without using antibiotics.

Crystal structures, thermal behavior and biological activities of lanthanide compounds with 2,4-dichlorobenzoic acid and 1,10-phenanthroline

Five new binuclear lanthanide compounds [Ln(2,4-DClBA)3phen]2(Ln = Pr(1), Eu(2), Tb(3), Ho(4) and Er(5); 2,4-DClBA = 2,4-dichlorobenzoate; phen = 1,10-phenanthroline) have been synthesized and structurally characterized by X-ray crystallography. And all of them were carefully investigated by elemental analysis, molar conductance, IR, UV and TG/DSC-FTIR technology. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies revealed that compounds 1–5 were binuclear molecules with an inversion center and the Ln3+ ions contained two kinds of coordination environment that was a distorted monocapped square-antiprism in the compounds 1–2, and a distorted square-antiprism geometry in the compounds 3–5. The 3D surface graphs for the FTIR spectra of gaseous products for the compounds 1–5 were recorded using simultaneous TG/DSC-FTIR technique which is intended to further analysis of the thermal decomposition processes. Hence the gaseous products were identified by the solved single IR spectra obtained at different temperatures from the 3D surface graphs. Furthermore, the Eu(Ш) and Tb(Ш) ternary compounds exhibited intense luminescence under the radiation of UV light. And the results for antimicrobial test show that these compounds exhibit good bacteriostatic activity against Staphylococcus aureus, and better antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli and Candida albicans.

Functional C1q is present in the skin mucus of Siberian sturgeon (Acipenser baerii)

The skin mucus of fish acts as the first line of self-protection against pathogens in the aquatic environment and comprises a number of innate immune components.However,the presence of the critical classical complement component C1q,which links the innate and adaptive immune systems of mammalians,has not been explored in a primitive actinopterygian fish.In this study,we report that C1q is present in the skin mucus of the Siberian sturgeon(Acipenser baerii).The skin mucus was able to inhibit the growth of Escherichia coli.The bacteriostatic activity of the skin mucus was reduced by heating and by pre-incubation with EDTA or mouse anti-human C1q antibody.We also detected C1q protein in skin mucus using the western blot procedure and isolated a cDNA that encodes the Siberian sturgeon C1qC,which had 44.7–51.4%identity with C1qCs in teleosts and tetrapods.A phylogenetic analysis revealed that Siberian sturgeon C1qC lies at the root of the actinopterygian branch and is separate from the tetrapod branch.The C1qC transcript was expressed in many tissues as well as in skin.Our data indicate that C1q is present in the skin mucus of the Siberian sturgeon to protect against water-borne bacteria,and the C1qC found in the sturgeon may represent the primitive form of teleost and tetrapod C1qCs.