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Antibacterial Activity of Plants in Cirsium: A Comprehensive Review

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Abstract

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.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Pharmacy, Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan, Ningxia, 750004, China

    Xiao-meng Tang, Liang Chen, Jin-long Tian, Xia Zhang, You-yuan Lu & Han-qing Wang

  2. College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Hunan University of Chinese Medicine, Changsha, 410007, China

    Ming-xia Xie

  3. General Hospital of Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan, Ningxia, 750004, China

    Jun-li Gou

  4. Ningxia Regional Characteristic Traditional Chinese Medicine Collaborative Innovation Center Co-constructed by the Province and Ministry, Ningxia Engineering and Technology Research Center for Modernization of Regional Characteristic Traditional Chinese Medicine, Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan, 750004, China

    You-yuan Lu & Han-qing Wang

  5. Key Laboratory of Ningxia Minority Medicine Modernization, Ministry of Education, Yinchuan, 750004, China

    Han-qing Wang

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  1. Xiao-meng Tang
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  2. Ming-xia Xie
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  4. Liang Chen
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  5. Jin-long Tian
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  6. Xia Zhang
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  7. You-yuan Lu
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  8. Han-qing Wang
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Contributions

Wang HQ and Lu YY contributed equally to this work. Wang HQ and Lu YY contributed to the conception of the review. Tang XM, Xie MX and Guo JL prepared the first draft of the manuscript. Tang XM, Chen L, TianJL and Zhang X performed the literature search. Wang HQ and Lu YY edited the review. All authors approved the final version for publication.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Han-qing Wang.

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All the authors declared that no competing interests.

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Tang, Xm., Xie, Mx., Gou, Jl. et al. Antibacterial Activity of Plants in Cirsium: A Comprehensive Review. Chin. J. Integr. Med. (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11655-024-3757-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11655-024-3757-2

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