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. 2019 Dec 31;9(1):109.
doi: 10.3390/jcm9010109.

Antibacterial Activity of Some Flavonoids and Organic Acids Widely Distributed in Plants

Artur Adamczak  1 , Marcin Ożarowski  2 , Tomasz M Karpiński  3
Affiliations

Antibacterial Activity of Some Flavonoids and Organic Acids Widely Distributed in Plants

Artur Adamczak et al. J Clin Med. .

Abstract

Among natural substances widespread in fruits, vegetables, spices, and medicinal plants, flavonoids and organic acids belong to the promising groups of bioactive compounds with strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. The aim of the present work was to evaluate the antibacterial activity of 13 common flavonoids (flavones, flavonols, flavanones) and 6 organic acids (aliphatic and aromatic acids). The minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of selected plant substances were determined by the micro-dilution method using clinical strains of four species of pathogenic bacteria. All tested compounds showed antimicrobial properties, but their biological activity was moderate or relatively low. Bacterial growth was most strongly inhibited by salicylic acid (MIC = 250-500 μg/mL). These compounds were generally more active against Gram-negative bacteria: Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa than Gram-positive ones: Enterococcus faecalis and Staphylococcus aureus. An analysis of the antibacterial effect of flavone, chrysin, apigenin, and luteolin showed that the presence of hydroxyl groups in the phenyl rings A and B usually did not influence on the level of their activity. A significant increase in the activity of the hydroxy derivatives of flavone was observed only for S. aureus. Similarly, the presence and position of the sugar group in the flavone glycosides generally had no effect on the MIC values.

Keywords: chlorogenic acid; citric acid; kaempferol; malic acid; naringin; orientin; quinic acid; rosmarinic acid; rutin; vitexin.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Chemical structures of flavonoids tested in the present research.
Figure 1
Figure 1
Chemical structures of flavonoids tested in the present research.
Figure 1
Figure 1
Chemical structures of flavonoids tested in the present research.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Chemical structures of organic acids tested in the present research.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Chemical structures of organic acids tested in the present research.
Figure 3
Figure 3
The minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of selected plant substances against Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain according to the micro-dilution method.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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