J Ethnopharmacol. 2017 Mar 24. pii: S0378-8741(16)32508-9. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2017.03.039. [Epub ahead of print]
- 1
- Plants
for Human Health Institute, North Carolina State University, North
Carolina Research Campus, 600 Laureate Way, Kannapolis, NC 28081;
Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, North Carolina State
University, 100 Derieux Place, Raleigh, NC 27695; Scottish School of
Herbal Medicine, Isle of Arran, Scotland, UK.
- 2
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, North Carolina State University, 100 Derieux Place, Raleigh, NC 27695.
- 3
- Scottish School of Herbal Medicine, Isle of Arran, Scotland, UK.
- 4
- Plants
for Human Health Institute, North Carolina State University, North
Carolina Research Campus, 600 Laureate Way, Kannapolis, NC 28081.
- 5
- Plants
for Human Health Institute, North Carolina State University, North
Carolina Research Campus, 600 Laureate Way, Kannapolis, NC 28081;
Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, North Carolina State
University, 100 Derieux Place, Raleigh, NC 27695; Department of Food,
Bioprocessing, and Nutrition Sciences, North Carolina State University,
400 Dan Allen Drive, Raleigh, NC 27695. Electronic address:
komarnytsky@ncsu.edu.
Abstract
ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE:
Antimicrobial
drug resistance is a growing threat to global public health. Historical
records and herbal texts relating to traditional Celtic medicine
indicate an extensive pharmacopeia of plants
for treating infections likely caused by microbes. However, a major
barrier for successful integration of these remedies into mainstream
practice is the current lack of accurate interpretation and scientific
validation.
MATERIALS AND METHODS:
We applied Mobile Discovery approach to the Isle of Arran, Scotland, for in situ targeted screening of 83 out of 138 plants identified in Meddygion Myddvai (a 13th century Welsh manuscript) to treat conditions related to microbial infections, and an additional 18 plants
from modern ethnobotanical knowledge on the island. In a follow-up
proof-of-concept study, bioassay-guided fractionation was performed to
identify bioactive constituents from two high scoring hits that
inhibited Staphylococcus aureus (Gram-positive) and Escherichia coli
(Gram-negative) bacterial growth.
RESULTS:
67 historical plants (80.7%) and 14 modern plants (77.8%) were found to have detectable levels of antimicrobial activity
when tested using Mobile Discovery kits, with human saliva as a source
of bacteria for screening. Sabinene, a natural bicyclic monoterpene from
juniper "berries" (Juniperus communis) and alliin, a natural sulfoxide
from garlic cloves (Allium sativum), were isolated and confirmed as
primary antibacterial leads.
CONCLUSION:
Using historical medical
sources such as those associated with traditional Celtic medicine to
guide rigorous, evidence-based scientific investigation, provides
additional leads for new and alternative bioactive molecules for
combating bacterial and infectious diseases.
Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.
KEYWORDS:
Traditional use; antibiotics; ethnobotany; medicinal plants; microbial infections
