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. 2018 Sep;8(9):395.
doi: 10.1007/s13205-018-1413-x. Epub 2018 Sep 1.

Essential oils from tropical medicinal herbs and food plants inhibit biofilm formation in vitro and are non-cytotoxic to human cells

Zaahira Aumeeruddy-Elalfi  1 , Ismaël Saïd Ismaël  2 , Muzzammil Hosenally  3 , Gokhan Zengin  4 , Mohamad Fawzi Mahomoodally  1
Affiliations

Essential oils from tropical medicinal herbs and food plants inhibit biofilm formation in vitro and are non-cytotoxic to human cells

Zaahira Aumeeruddy-Elalfi et al. 3 Biotech. 2018 Sep.

Abstract

The biofilm inhibition and eradication potential of essential oils (EOs) extracted from six tropical medicinal herbs and food plants [Psiadia arguta (PA), Psiadia terebinthina (PT), Citrus grandis (CGp), Citrus hystrix (CH), Citrus reticulata (CR), and Cinnamomum zeylanicum (CZ)] were assessed. The mechanism of inhibition was studied via quenching of efflux pump. Cytotoxicity was evaluated using Artemia salina assay and cell lines [human cervix carcinoma (HeLa), human lung fibroblast (MRC-5), and murine melanoma (B16F10)]. EOs of CH, CR, PA, and PT were found to be prospective antibiofilm agents (IC50 of 0.29, 0.59, 0.22, and 0.11 mg/mL against Staphylococcus epidermidis; 0.39, 0.54, 0.09, and 0.13 mg/mL against Escherichia coli; and 0.54, 0.90, 0.44 and 0.51 mg/mL against Candida albicans for CH, CR, PA, and PT, respectively). The simultaneous actions of the EOs and efflux pump inhibitor impacted on the resistance of the biofilms. LC50 of the EOs ranged from 223 to 583 µg/mL against A. salina. The non-cytotoxic concentration of the EOs varied from 200 to 300 µg/mL (HeLa and MRC-5), and 150-200 µg/mL (B16F10). EOs from these tropical medicinal herbs and food plants are useful sources of new antimicrobials with low cytotoxicity which could open new horizons in the drug development process.

Keywords: Antibacterial activity; Cytotoxicity; Efflux pump inhibitor; Essential oils; Herbal medicine; Medicinal plants; Traditional medicine.

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Conflict of interest statement

Compliance with ethical standardsThe authors declare that they have no conflict of interest with the publication.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Inhibition of E. coli (a), S. epidermidis (b) and C. albicans (c) biofilms. CGp: Citrus grandis (peel); CH: Citrus hystrix; CR: Citrus reticulata; CZ: Cinnamomum zeylanicum; PA: Psiadia arguta; PT: Psiadia terebinthina. *p value ≤ 0.05 (statistical analysis: ANOVA with mean inhibition as response variable and concentration as fixed factor)
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Antibiofilm activity of CGp: Citrus grandis (peel); CH: Citrus hystrix; CR:Citrus reticulata; CZ: Cinnamomum zeylanicum; PA: Psiadia arguta; PT: Psiadia terebinthina against E. coli (b, d, f, h, j, l), and S. epidermidis (a, c, e, g, i, k). *Limit significance (0.1 < p value); **significant (p value ≤ 0.05); statistical analysis: ANOVA with mean absorbance as response variable and concentration as fixed factor
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Antibiofilm activity of CGp: Citrus grandis (peel); CH: Citrus hystrix; CR:Citrus reticulata; CZ: Cinnamomum zeylanicum; PA: Psiadia arguta; PT: Psiadia terebinthina against E. coli (b, d, f, h, j, l), and S. epidermidis (a, c, e, g, i, k). *Limit significance (0.1 < p value); **significant (p value ≤ 0.05); statistical analysis: ANOVA with mean absorbance as response variable and concentration as fixed factor
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Effect of the variation of EO [CGp: Citrus grandis (peel); CH: Citrus hystrix; CR: Citrus reticulata; CZ: Cinnamomum zeylanicum; PA: Psiadia arguta; PT: Psiadia terebinthina] concentration on the % of dead shrimp
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Non-cytotoxic concentrations of EOs (CGp: Citrus grandis (peel); CH: Citrus hystrix; CR:Citrus reticulata; CZ: Cinnamomum zeylanicum; PA: Psiadia arguta; PT: Psiadia terebinthina) representing a viability ≥ 70% of the cells. Statistical test: ANOVA followed by Dunnet’s procedure to compare versus Doxorubicin
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