Skip to main content
Log in

Evaluation of antimicrobial activity of certain Chinese plants used in folkloric medicine

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
World Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

    We’re sorry, something doesn't seem to be working properly.

    Please try refreshing the page. If that doesn't work, please contact support so we can address the problem.

Abstract

Six selected plants, belonging to 3 families from Nanjing of China, were extracted with the solvent 95% (v/v) ethanol to yield 11 extracts. The extracts were evaluated for their effects on the growth of eight clinical bacteria, two fungi and one yeast using a modified agar diffusion method. The results showed that the majority of the extracts investigated showed greater activities against the Gram-positive bacteria than against the Gram-negative bacteria, the fungi and the yeast. The strongest antimicrobial activity was exhibited by the stem extracts of Mahonia fortunei against multiresistant Staphylococcus aureus strains, followed by the stem extracts of Mahonia bealei, while Bacillus thuringiensis was the most sensitive to all extracts.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
$34.99 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or eBook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

References

  • Abdallah OM (1995) Minor alkaloids from Lycoris sanguinea. Phytochemistry 39:477–478

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Allen CR, Garmestani AS, LaBram JA et al (2006) When landscaping goes bad: the incipient invasion of Mahonia bealei in the southeastern United States. Biol Invas 8:169–176

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fatehi M, Saleh TM, Fatehi-Hassanabad Z et al (2005) A pharmacological study on Berberis vulgaris fruit extract. J Ethnopharmocol 102:46–52

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Freile ML, Giannini F, Pucci G et al (2003) Antimicrobial activity of aqueous extracts and of berberine isolated from Berberis heterophylla. Fitoterapia 74:702–705

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gurib-Fakim A (2006) Medicinal plants: traditions of yesterday and drugs of tomorrow. Mol Aspects Med 27:1–93

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Indra B, Tadano T, Nakagawasai O et al (2002) Suppressive effect of nantenine, isolated from Nandina domestica Thunberg. on the 5-hydroxy-L-tryptophan plus clorgyline-induced head-twitch response in mice. Life Sci 70:2647–2656

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ji X, Li Y, Liu H et al (2000) Determination of the alkaloid content in different parts of some Mahonia plants by HPCE. Pharm Acta Helvetiae 74:387–391

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Jia X, Zhou T, Zheng Y et al (2001) Pharmacologic study on alkaloid compound from Amaryllidaceae plants. Stud J Trad Chinese Med 19:573–574

    Google Scholar 

  • Kardošová A, Malovíková A, Pätoprstý V et al (2002) Structural characterization and antitussive activity of a glucuronoxylan from Mahonia aquifolium (Pursh) Nutt. Carbohyd Polym 47:27–33

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li A, Zhu Y, Tian X (2006) Antimicrobial activity of four species of Berberidaceae. Paper presented at the 2006 Doctoral Forum of China, University of Sichuan, Chengdu, 20–23 July 2006

  • Lorence A, Nessler CL (2004) Molecules of interest camptothecin, over four decades of surprising findings. Phytochemistry 65:2735–2749

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Musumeci R, Speciale A, Costanzo R et al (2003) Berberis aetnensis C. Presl. Extracts: antimicrobial properties and interaction with ciprofloxacin. Int J Antimicrob Ag 22:48–53

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • NCCLS (National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards) (1997) Performance standards for antimicrobial disk susceptibility test, 6th edn., approved standard. Wayne, PA

    Google Scholar 

  • Pizzolato JF, Saltz LB (2003) The camptothecins. Lancet 361:2235–2242

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Rivory LP, Robert J (1995) Molecular, cellular, and clinical aspects of the pharmacology of 20(S) camptothecin and its derivatives. Pharmacol Therapeut 68:269–296

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Silander JA Jr, Klepeis DM (1999) The invasion ecology of Japanese barberry (Berberis thunbergii) in the New England landscape. Biol Invas 1:189–201

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tsuchida H, Ohizumi Y (2003) (+)-Nantenine isolated from Nandina domestica Thub. inhibits adrenergic pressor responses in pithed rats. Eur J Pharmacol 477:53–58

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yang Y, Huang S, Zhao Y et al (2005) Alkaloids from the bulbs of Lycoris aurea. Helv Chim Acta 88:2550–2553

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yeşilada E, Küpeli E (2002) Berberis crataegina DC. root exhibits potent anti-inflammatory, analgesic and febrifuge effects in mice and rats. J Ethnopharmacol 79:237–248

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhu X, Du G (2006) Progress of vasorelaxant substances from natural products. Chinese J Nat Med 4:81–86

    CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to express their gratitude to Prof. Liu of Microbiological Laboratory, Nanjing University, China, and Jiangsu Province Hospital, Nanjing, China for their donation of microorganisms. The financial support of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (30470299) and Key Project of National Science Foundation (30430570) are also gratefully acknowledged.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Xingjun Tian.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Li, A., Zhu, Y., He, X. et al. Evaluation of antimicrobial activity of certain Chinese plants used in folkloric medicine. World J Microbiol Biotechnol 24, 569–572 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11274-007-9494-4

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11274-007-9494-4

Keywords

Navigation