Purification and partial characterization of human neutrophil elastase inhibitors from the marine snail Cenchritis muricatus (Mollusca)

Human neutrophil elastase inhibition was detected in a crude extract of the marine snail Cenchritis muricatus (Gastropoda, Mollusca). This inhibitory activity remained after heating this extract at 60 °C for 30 min. From this extract, three human neutrophil elastase inhibitors (designated CmPI–I, CmPI–II and CmPI–III) were purified by affinity and reversed-phase chromatographies. Homogeneity of CmPI–I and CmPI–II was confirmed, while CmPI–III showed a single peak in reversed-phase chromatography, but heterogeneity in SDS-PAGE with preliminary molecular masses in the range of 18.4 to 22.0 kDa. In contrast, MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry of CmPI–I and CmPI–II showed that these inhibitors are molecules of low molecular mass, 5576 and 5469 Da, respectively. N-terminal amino acid sequences of CmPI–I (6 amino acids) and CmPI–II (20 amino acids) were determined. Homology to Kazal-type protease inhibitors was preliminarily detected for CmPI–II. Both inhibitors, CmPI–I and CmPI–II are able to inhibit human neutrophil elastase strongly, with equilibrium dissociation constant (K_i) values of 54.2 and 1.6 nM, respectively. In addition, trypsin and pancreatic elastase were also inhibited, but not plasma kallikrein or thrombin. CmPI–I and CmPI–II are the first human neutrophil elastase inhibitors described in a mollusk.     

Phylogenetic study of sponge associated bacteria from the Lakshadweep archipelago and the antimicrobial activities of their secondary metabolites

Marine ecosystem of the Lakshadweep archipelago is unique and known to have a very high degree of biodiversity with a number of endemic flora and fauna. The present study focuses to isolate the endosymbiotic microorganism from sponges and its effectiveness against marine ornamental fish pathogens. The sponges were collected from Agatti island of Lakshadweep archipelago and identified as Clathria procera, Sigmadocia fibulata and Dysidea granulosa. In which, 15 different types of bacteria were isolated and screened against marine ornamental fish pathogens (A. hydrophila, Vibrio alginolyticus, V. harveyii, V. parahaemolyticus and Pseudomonas fluorescens). The strain S25 was found as potential bacteria based on their antimicrobial activity against the fish pathogens. Molecular identification of the potential strain (S25) of the 16S rRNA gene showed 99% identity with Acinetobacter sp. The sequenced 16 s rRNA gene with 1,081 bp in length was submitted in NCBI Genbank and Accession was obtained (GenBank Accession number HM004071). The strain exhibited high similarity (99%) with the 16S rRNA gene of Acinetobacter calcoaceticus from GenBank database. Crude extract obtained with acetone and ethyl acetate from extracellular products of S25 showed significant antimicrobial activity by disc diffusion assay using 1,500 μg/ml of crude extract. Extracellular metobolite of A. calcoaceticus was extracted by shake flask method and the crude extract was partially purified by thin layer chromatography. Partially purified crude extract showed significant inhibition zone of antimicrobial activity (A. hydrophila, V. alginolyticus, V. parahaemolyticus) and less similar activity against V. harveyii and P. fluorescens. This is the first report on A. calcoaceticus isolated from sponges of Lakshadweep archipelago and the studies are underway to characterize and purify the antimicrobial compounds of the potential bacteria.     

Phytochemical analysis of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Andrographis paniculata</Emphasis> extract and its antimicrobial activity

The present study describes the phytochemical profile and antimicrobial activity of Andrographis paniculata. For the present investigation, two samples of A. paniculata extracts, obtained by extraction in chloroform and chloroform + HCl, respectively, were compared for their antimicrobial activity and further subjected to GC-MS analysis to find out the nature of the compounds responsible for the antimicrobial activity. The antibacterial activities were assessed by measuring the diameter of the inhibition zones, MIC and MBC values. Compared to the chloroform + HCl extract, the chloroform extract showed better antimicrobial activity against all the nine pathogenic bacterial strains tested. The chloroform extract was observed to be active against the opportunistic and pathogenic gram-negative bacteria, indicating its potential application related to noscomial infections. GC-MS results revealed phenols, aromatic carboxylic acids and esters in the chloroform extract to be the molecules responsible for the antimicrobial activity of A. paniculata. This is the first report on analysis of antimicrobial components from A. paniculata, and our results confer the utility of this plant extract in developing a novel broad spectrum antimicrobial agent.     

Antibacterial activity of<Emphasis Type="Italic">Ulva lactuca</Emphasis> against methicillin-resistant<Emphasis Type="Italic">Staphylococcus aureus</Emphasis> (MRSA)

Thein vitro antimicrobial activity of the marine green algaeUlva lactuca was examined against gram-positive bacteria, gram-negative bacteria, and a fungus. The ethyl-ether extract of algae exhibited a broad-spectrum of antibacterial activity. but not antifungal activity againstCandida albicans. In particular, theU. lactuca extract showed strong activity aganst the bacterium methicillin-resistantStaphylococcus aureus (MRSA). This result confirms the potential use of seaweed extracts as a source of antibacterial compounds or as a health-promoting food for aquaculture.     

Antimicrobial potential of a lipopeptide biosurfactant derived from a marine Bacillus circulans

Aims: To isolate the biologically active fraction of the lipopeptide biosurfactant produced by a marine Bacillus circulans and study its antimicrobial potentials. Methods and Results: The marine isolate B. circulans was cultivated in glucose mineral salts medium and the crude biosurfactant was isolated by chemical isolation method. The crude biosurfactants were solvent extracted with methanol and the methanol extract was subjected to reverse phase high‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The crude biosurfactants resolved into six major fractions in HPLC. The sixth HPLC fraction eluting at a retention time of 27·3 min showed the maximum surface tension‐reducing property and reduced the surface tension of water from 72 mNm^?1 to 28 mNm^?1. Only this fraction was found to posses bioactivity and showed a pronounced antimicrobial action against a panel of Gram‐positive and Gram‐negative pathogenic and semi‐pathogenic micro‐organisms including a few multidrug‐resistant (MDR) pathogenic clinical isolates. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of this antimicrobial fraction of the biosurfactant were determined for these test organisms. The biosurfactant was found to be active against Gram‐negative bacteria such as Proteus vulgaris and Alcaligens faecalis at a concentration as low as 10 μg ml^?1. The biosurfactant was also active against methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and other MDR pathogenic strains. The chemical identity of this bioactive biosurfactant fraction was determined by post chromatographic detection using thin layer chromatography (TLC) and also by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The antimicrobial HPLC fraction resolved as a single spot on TLC and showed positive reaction with ninhydrin, iodine and rhodamine‐B reagents, indicating its lipopeptide nature. IR absorption by this fraction also showed similar and overlapping patterns with that of other lipopeptide biosurfactants such as surfactin and lichenysin, proving this biosurfactant fraction to be a lipopeptide. The biosurfactant did not show any haemolytic activity when tested on blood agar plates, unlike the lipopeptide biosurfactant surfactin produced by Bacillus subtilis. Conclusions: The biosurfactant produced by marine B. circulans had a potent antimicrobial activity against Gram‐positive and Gram‐negative pathogenic and semi‐pathogenic microbial strains including MDR strains. Only one of the HPLC fractions of the crude biosurfactants was responsible for its antimicrobial action. The antimicrobial lipopeptide biosurfactant fraction was also found to be nonhaemolytic in nature. Significance and impact of the study: This work presents a nonhaemolytic lipopeptide biosurfactant produced by a marine micro‐organism possessing a pronounced antimicrobial action against a wide range of bacteria. There is a high demand for new antimicrobial agents because of the increased resistance shown by pathogenic micro‐organisms against the existing antimicrobial drugs. This study provides an insight into the search of new bioactive molecules from marine micro‐organisms.     

Antimicrobial activity in sub-Arctic marine invertebrates

In the marine environment, any living or non-living surface is exposed to bacterial colonization. Many invertebrate species in temperate, tropical and Antarctic regions have demonstrated chemical defences against the formation of microbial films. In the present study, the antimicrobial activity of sub-Arctic invertebrates was investigated for the first time. Crude extracts of abundant invertebrates belonging to several taxonomic groups were tested for their inhibitory effects on the growth of five sympatric phylogenetically diverse bacterial strains. Six out of 18 (33%) crude extracts inhibited bacterial growth at natural extract concentrations. The crude extract of the sponge Haliclona viscosa inhibited growth of all five bacterial strains, suggesting the presence of metabolites with broad-spectrum activity. Three active compounds were isolated from H. viscosa having antibacterial properties similar to those of the crude extract. Our data indicate that antibacterial secondary metabolites are present in sub-Arctic marine invertebrates but are less abundant than in temperate, tropical or Antarctic species.     

Optimization and production of novel antimicrobial agents from sponge associated marine actinomycetes <Emphasis Type="Italic">Nocardiopsis dassonvillei</Emphasis> MAD08

The sponge-associated actinomycetes were isolated from the marine sponge Dendrilla nigra, collected from the southwest coast of India. Eleven actinomycetes were isolated depending upon the heterogeneity and stability in subculturing. Among these, Nocardiopsis dassonvillei MAD08 showed 100% activity against the multidrug resistant pathogens tested. The culture conditions of N. dassonvillei MAD08 was optimized under submerged fermentation conditions for enhanced antimicrobial production. The unique feature of MAD08 includes extracellular amylase, cellulase, lipase, and protease production. These enzymes ultimately increase the scope of optimization using broad range of raw materials which might be efficiently utilized. The extraction of the cell free supernatant with ethyl acetate yielded bioactive crude extract that displayed activity against a panel of pathogens tested. Analysis of the active thin layer chromatography fraction by Fourier transform infrared and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry evidenced 11 compounds with antimicrobial activity. The ammonium sulfate precipitation of the culture supernatant at 80% saturation yielded an anticandidal protein of molecular weight 87.12 kDa. This is the first strain that produces both organic solvent and water soluble antimicrobial compounds. The active extract was non-hemolytic and showed surface active property envisaging its probable role in inhibiting the attachment of pathogens to host tissues, thus, blocking host–pathogen interaction at an earlier stage of pathogenesis.     

Bioproduction of antimicrobial compounds by using marine filamentous cyanobacterium cultivation

The synthesis of bioactive compounds with antimicrobial activity, excreted by marine cyanobacteria, strongly depends on their growth conditions. Due to the wide variety of biomolecules which could show properties as growth inhibitors and their low concentrations within the culture medium, the activity of their crude extracts also seems to be related to the extraction method used. Using the marine filamentous cyanobacterium Geitlerinema strain Flo1, we demonstrate a systematic approach for identifying optimal culture conditions to obtain culture media extracts with antimicrobial activity. The changes in the culture conditions, such as the addition of NaBr to the medium, cell immobilisation in vegetable sponge pieces, or temperature, effected the production of these bioactive compounds. The crude extract, containing middle polar molecules, obtained by extraction with Amberlite XAD-1180 had a higher antifouling activity upon a number of bacteria and fungi than the extract obtained by extraction with Amberlite XAD-16. The lowest inhibitory concentration obtained upon Rhodosporidium sphaerocarpum was still ten times higher than that of bis(tributyltin)oxide, but compared to zinc pyrithione, it was two times more active.     

Antimicrobial activities of Gloriosa superba Linn (Colchicaceae) extracts

The methanol extract of the rhizomes of Gloriosa superba Linn (Colchicaceae) and its subsequent fractions in different solvent systems were screened for antibacterial and antifungal activities. Excellent antifungal sensitivity was expressed by the n-butanol fraction against Candida albicans and Candida glaberata (up to 90%) and against Trichophyton longifusus (78%) followed by the chloroform fraction against Microsporum canis (80%). In the antibacterial bioassay, the crude extract and subsequent fractions showed mild to moderate antibacterial activities. Chloroform fraction displayed highest antibacterial sensitivity against Staphylococcus aureous (88%) followed by the crude extract (59%). The total phenol content of the crude extract and fractions of the plant expressed no significant correlation with the antimicrobial activities.     

Antibacterial activity of a sulfated galactan extracted from the marine alga <Emphasis Type="Italic">Chaetomorpha aerea</Emphasis> against <Emphasis Type="Italic">Staphylococcus aureus</Emphasis>

The in vitro antimicrobial activity of the marine green algae Chaetomorpha aerea was investigated against gram-positive bacteria, gram-negative bacteria, and a fungus. The water-soluble extract of algae was composed of a sulfated (6.3%) galactan with a molecular weight of 1.160 × 10⁶ Da and a global composition close to commercial polysaccharides, such as dextran sulfate or fucoidan. The polysaccharide was composed of 18% arabinose, 24% glucose, and 58% galactose. The re-suspended extracts (methanol, water) exhibited selective antibacterial activities against 3 gram-positive bacteria including Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 25923). Minimum inhibitory concentration and minimum bactericidal concentration tests showed that the sulfated galactan could be a bactericidal agent for this strain (40 mg/mL). The results of this study confirmed the potential use of the green algae Chaetomorpha aerea as a source of antibacterial compounds.     

Antimicrobial activity of marine sponge <Emphasis Type="Italic">Clathria indica</Emphasis> (Dendy, 1889)

Sponges are sessile filter feeders that have developed efficient defense mechanisms against foreign invaders such as viruses, bacteria or eukaryotic organisms. Antimicrobial peptides are known as major components of the innate immune defense system in marine invertebrates. The aim of the present work was to study the antimicrobial properties of the Indian sponge Clathria indica with special reference to the identification of antimicrobial peptides. Crude methanolic extract and its chloroform, n-butanol and aqueous fractions were tested against 16 human pathogens which include eleven bacteria with four of them being multidrug resistant and five pathogenic fungi. All fractions showed effective antibacterial activity against common and multidrug-resistant Salmonella typhi and antifungal activity against C. albicans and C. neoformans. However, they were ineffective against Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Streptococcus pyogenes and Staphylococcus aureus. Chloroform fraction being the most potent among the fractions tested on chemical investigation was indicative of the presence of peptides as evidenced by ninhydrin positive spots on TLC and presence of peptide bonds by NMR. Its ESI-MS showed presence of several peptides in the range of m/z 850 to 980. Structure of three peptides has been tentatively assigned by ESI-MS/MS or tandem mass analysis, on the basis of the amino acid sequence established. The results clearly show that the sponge C. indica represent an interesting source of marine invertebrates-derived antimicrobial peptides in the development of new strategies to treat various infectious diseases.     

Assessment of Phytochemical Analysis,Nutritional Composition and Antimicrobial Activity of<i> Moringa oleifera</i>

Moringa oleifera is a miracle plant rich in nutrients, antioxidants, and antibiotic properties. Present study was designed to evaluate various biochemical attributes of leaves and flowers of M. oleifera. Plant parts (leaves, flowers) of M. oleifera, collected from different roadsides of Multan district, Punjab, Pakistan, were used as experimental material. Result indicates that alkaloids, saponin, carbohydrates, fats, and protein had a high value in the aqueous extract of both leaves and flowers of M. oleifera. Whereas phenol content was high in methanolic leaves extract and the phenol contents were high in aqueous extract of flowers. The extract yield of M. oleifera leaves and flowers both showed a higher percentage in aqueous extract (57.5%), followed by methanol extract and lowest in ethyl acetate extract. Flavonoids contents were higher in ethyl acetate extract of leaves (33.67%) and aqueous extract of flowers (53.71%). While crude fiber was high in methanolic extract of leaves (12.40%) and in flowers crude fiber was high in ethyl acetate extract (15.86%). The moisture contents were higher in leaves (8.87%) than flowers (7.3%) and similarly, ash percentage in flowers (52.60%) than leaves (41.84%). Ethyl acetate extracts of M. oleifera leaves show antibacterial activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa while methanolic extract of M. oleifera flowers shows antibacterial activity against Xanthomonas sp. Maximum growth inhibits show in all extracts of leaves against Aspergillus flavus, F. oxysporum, and P. glabrum except for the concentrated aqueous extract of leaves. While in flowers maximum growth inhibits all extracts against P. glabrum, A. niger, and A. flavus except the diluted ethyl acetate extract. Phytochemicals present in different parts of moringa have significant edible and commercial potential. Moringa extracts exhibited significant antimicrobial activity, therefore have applications in pharmaceuticals.     

Antibacterial and antifungal activities of andrachne cordifolia muell

The crude methanolic extract of Andrachne cordifolia Muell. (Euphorbiaceae) and its various fractions in different solvent systems (chloroform, ethyl acetate and n- butanol) were screened for antibacterial and antifungal activities. Crude extract and subsequent fractions demonstrated moderate to excellent antibacterial activities against the tested pathogens. Highest antibacterial activity was displayed by both chloroform and ethyl acetate fractions (100%) followed by the crude extract (68%) against Salmonella typhi. Similarly, crude extract and its subsequent fractions showed mild to excellent activities in antifungal bioassay with maximum (76%) antifungal activity against Microsporum canis by the chloroform fraction followed by the crude extract (65%).     

Antimicrobial activity,total phenolic content and flavonoid concentrations of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Teucrium</Emphasis> species

In vitro antimicrobial activity of 21 crude extracts obtained from seven taxa of the genus Teucrium (T. chamaedrys, T. montanum, T. arduini, T. polium, T. scordium subsp. scordium, T. scordium subsp. scordioides and T. botrys) was tested against bacterial and fungal species. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) were determined using a microdilution analysis method. Total phenolic content and flavonoid concentrations were measured spectrophotometrically. Total phenols were determined using Folin-Ciocalteu reagent and their amounts ranged from 28.49 up to 159.84 mg CA/g of extract (chlorogenic acid equivalent). The amounts of flavonoids ranged from 38.17 up to 190.45 mg RU/g of extract (rutin equivalent).The plant extracts showed greater potential of antibacterial than antifungal activity. A relationship was found between total phenolics and biological activity. The highest level of total phenols was measured in the methanol extracts, which demonstrated higher antimicrobial activity than acetone and ethyl acetate extracts. Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923 appeared to be the most sensitive organism. Our results indicate that Teucrium spp extracts are rich sources of phenolic compounds and are promising candidates for further development as natural antimicrobial agents.     

Antibacterial and antilarval activity of deep-sea bacteria from sediments of the West Pacific Ocean

Abstract

Deep-sea microorganisms are a new source of bioactive compounds. In this study, crude ethyl acetate extracts of 176 strains of deep-sea bacteria, isolated from sediments of the West Pacific Ocean, were screened for their antibacterial activity against four test bacterial strains isolated from marine biofilms. Of these, 28 deep-sea bacterial strains exhibited antibacterial activity against one or more of the bacteria tested. Active deep-sea bacterial strains belonged mainly to the genera of Pseudomonas, Psychrobacter and Halomonas. Additionally, antilarval activity of 56 deep-sea bacterial strains was screened using Balanus amphitrite larvae. Seven bacterial strains produced metabolites that had strong inhibitive effects on larval settlement. None of these metabolites showed significant toxicity. The crude extract of one deep-sea Streptomyces strain could completely inhibit larval settlement at a concentration of 25 μg ml^?1.     

Bioactivity in free-living and symbiotic cyanobacteria of the genus Nostoc

Fifty cyanobacterial strains from different habitats(symbioses, soil, fresh and marine waters) belongingto the genus Nostoc were cultured and tested forbioactivity. Thirty-seven strains were isolated in ourlaboratory, the remaining were supplied by officialculture collections. All the organisms were grownunder controlled laboratory conditions. The biomasseswere lyophilised and extracted with ethanol:water toobtain a hydrophilic extract and then withdichloromethane:isopropanol to obtain a lipophilicextract. Both crude extracts were tested forantifungal (against Penicillium expansum andRhizoctonia solani) and antibacterial activity(against Agrobacterium vitis, Escherichiacoli and Staphylococcus epidermidis), and fortoxicity against Artemia salina nauplii.Twenty-four strains showed activity against at leastone of the target organisms. Bioactivity was equallydistributed between lipophilic and hydrophilicextracts, and was mostly directed against fungi (15strains) and Artemia nauplii (12 strains);antibacterial activity was less frequent (8 strains).The presence of bioactivity was independent of thestrain origin.     

Isolation of antibacterial compounds from Quercus dilatata L. through bioassay guided fractionation

Background

Four medicinal plants (Chrozophora hierosolymitana Spreng, Chrysanthemum leucanthemum L., Ephedra gerardiana Wall. ex Stapf, and Quercus dilatata L.) used by indigenous healers to treat various infectious diseases were selected for the present study. The major objective of the present study was isolation and characterization of antimicrobial components from the crude plant extracts using bioassay guided fractionation.

Methods

Seven methanolic extracts of the four plants were screened to identify any antimicrobial agents present in them. The active crude plant extract was fractionated first by solvent partitioning and then by HPLC. Characterization of the active fractions was done by using spectrophotometer.

Results

All the seven methanolic extracts showed low antifungal activity, however, when these extracts were tested for antibacterial activity, significant activity was exhibited by two extracts. The extract of aerial parts of Q. dilatata was most active and therefore, was selected for further analysis. Initially fractionation was done by solvent-solvent partitioning and out of six partitioned fractions, ethanol fraction was selected on the basis of results of antibacterial activity and phytochemical analysis. Further, fractionation was carried out by RP- HPLC and purified active subfractions were characterized by comparing their absorption spectra with that of the known natural products isolated from the plants of Quercus genus.

Discussion and conclusion

The results suggest that this is the first report of the isolated antibacterial compounds from this genus.     

地衣型真菌次级代谢产物抗菌活性初步研究

地衣是一种传统的民族药物,能产生多种具有活性的物质。该研究对地衣型真菌(Xanthoria elegans,Myelochroa indica,Ramalina peruviana,Cladonia macilenta,Nephromopsis pallescens,Cladonia coccifera)进行液体培养,2个月后,培养液用乙酸乙酯萃取后获得初提物。该研究采用抑菌圈法评价地衣型真菌初提物对7种致病细菌(Bacillus subtilis,Bacillus cereus,Vibrio parahaemolyticus,Straphylococcus haemolyticus,Pseudomonas aeruginosa,Staphylococcus aureus,Micrococcus luteus)的抗菌活性,并测定最低抑菌浓度(MIC)。结果表明:6种地衣型真菌的初提物均具有一定的抗菌活性,且不同培养基对地衣型真菌产生抗菌物质有显著影响。其中,R.peruviana在MY液体培养基中所产生的次级代谢产物对金黄色葡萄球菌、藤黄微球菌、溶血性葡萄球菌、铜尿假单胞菌具有抑制效果,但在YMG培养基中所得初提物对供试7种致病细菌不具有抑菌效果。X.elegans在YMG培养基中所得初提物对枯草芽孢杆菌具有明显抗菌活性,其抑菌圈直径可达17.77 mm。该研究证实不同地衣型真菌液体培养初提物具有抗菌活性,不同的培养基也直接影响地衣型真菌抗菌效果。该研究结果为地衣型真菌的进一步研究及民族药的开发利用奠定了基础。     

Purification and partial characterization of human neutrophil elastase inhibitors from the marine snail Cenchritis muricatus (Mollusca)

Human neutrophil elastase inhibition was detected in a crude extract of the marine snail Cenchritis muricatus (Gastropoda, Mollusca). This inhibitory activity remained after heating this extract at 60 degrees C for 30 min. From this extract, three human neutrophil elastase inhibitors (designated CmPI-I, CmPI-II and CmPI-III) were purified by affinity and reversed-phase chromatographies. Homogeneity of CmPI-I and CmPI-II was confirmed, while CmPI-III showed a single peak in reversed-phase chromatography, but heterogeneity in SDS-PAGE with preliminary molecular masses in the range of 18.4 to 22.0 kDa. In contrast, MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry of CmPI-I and CmPI-II showed that these inhibitors are molecules of low molecular mass, 5576 and 5469 Da, respectively. N-terminal amino acid sequences of CmPI-I (6 amino acids) and CmPI-II (20 amino acids) were determined. Homology to Kazal-type protease inhibitors was preliminarily detected for CmPI-II. Both inhibitors, CmPI-I and CmPI-II are able to inhibit human neutrophil elastase strongly, with equilibrium dissociation constant (Ki) values of 54.2 and 1.6 nM, respectively. In addition, trypsin and pancreatic elastase were also inhibited, but not plasma kallikrein or thrombin. CmPI-I and CmPI-II are the first human neutrophil elastase inhibitors described in a mollusk.     

Antimicrobial bioassay of colchicum luteum baker

The methanolic extract of the corms of Colchicum luteum Baker (Liliaceae) and its subsequent fractions in different solvent systems were screened for antibacterial and antifungal activities. The crude extract and all the fractions demonstrated moderate to excellent antifungal activities against tested pathogens in antifungal bioassay. Excellent antifungal activity was shown against trichophyton longifusus, up to 75%, and microsporum canis, up to 85%, while the crude extract and subsequent fractions showed mild to moderate activities in an antibacterial bioassay with maximum antibacterial activity 58% against Bacillus subtilis.