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. 2023 May 9;28(10):3980.
doi: 10.3390/molecules28103980.

Phytochemical Characterization and Antimicrobial Activity of Several Allium Extracts

Ioana Andreea Barbu  1   2   3 , Alexandra Ciorîță  1   4 , Rahela Carpa  1   3   5 , Augustin Catalin Moț  6 , Anca Butiuc-Keul  1   2   3 , Marcel Pârvu  1   3
Affiliations

Phytochemical Characterization and Antimicrobial Activity of Several Allium Extracts

Ioana Andreea Barbu et al. Molecules. .

Abstract

Microbial infections affect both the human population and animals. The appearance of more and more microbial strains resistant to classical treatments led to the need to develop new treatments. Allium plants are known for their antimicrobial properties due to their high content of thiosulfinates, especially allicin, polyphenols or flavonoids. The hydroalcoholic extracts of six Allium species obtained by cold percolation were analyzed regarding their phytochemical compounds and antimicrobial activity. Among the six extracts, Allium sativum L. and Allium ursinum L. have similar contents of thiosulfinates (approx. 300 μg allicin equivalents/g), and the contents of polyphenols and flavonoids were different between the tested species. The HPLC-DAD method was used to detail the phytochemical composition of species rich in thiosulfinates. A. sativum is richer in allicin (280 μg/g) than A. ursinum (130 μg/g). The antimicrobial activity of A. sativum and A. ursinum extracts against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Candida albicans and Candida parapsilosis can be correlated with the presence of large amounts of thiosulfinates. Both extracts have shown results against Candida species (inhibition zones of 20-35 mm) and against Gram-positive bacteria, Staphylococcus aureus (inhibition zones of 15-25 mm). These results demonstrate the antimicrobial effect of the extracts and suggest their use as an adjuvant treatment for microbial infections.

Keywords: Allium; allicin; antimicrobial activity; phytochemical analysis.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
(A) Chromatographic profiles for alliin and allicin evaluation (220 nm) in the A. sativum and A. ursinum extracts. (B) Chromatographic profiles for phenolics evaluation (320 nm) in the A. sativum and A. ursinum extracts. Analytes determined: 1—gentisic acid, 2—chlorogenic acid, 3—4-hydroxybenzoic acid, 4—p-coumaric acid. For clarity, only the detected analytes are indicated in this figure. The other analytes used in this chromatographic method that were not detected in the analyzed sample are indicated in the Supplementary Materials (Table S1).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Antimicrobial activity of Allium sativum (1), A. ursinum (2), A. sativum and A. ursinum 1:1 extracts (3), Ciprofloxacin/Sulfamethoxazole/Fluconazole (c1AC1/c1B/c1C,D) and ethanol 30% (c2) on S. aureus (A), E. coli (B) C. albicans (C) and C. parapsilosis (D).
Figure 3
Figure 3
The antimicrobial effect of Allium sativum, A. ursinum, A. sativum and A. ursinum 1:1 on S. aureus E. coli, C. albicans and C. parapsilosis. The values represent the mean of three measurements ± standard deviation; *** p < 0.0005, * p < 0.05, according to one-way ANOVA.
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