Page 117 - Book of Abstracts

5 International Scientific Online Conference DOI: https://doi.org/10.15414/2021.9788055224015

th

ANTIBACTERIAL ACTIVITY OF ETHANOLIC EXTRACTS OBTAINED FROM ROOTS AND
STALKS OF CHELIDONIUM MAJUS L. AGAINST ENTEROCOCCUS FAECALIS STRAINS
Nataniel Stefanowski, Halyna Tkachenko, Natalia Kurhaluk
Institute of Biology and Earth Sciences, Pomeranian University in Słupsk, Poland;
E-mail.: natanielstefanowski89@gmail.com
The present study is an in vitro research aimed to evaluate the antimicrobial activity of
the ethanolic extracts derived from roots and stalks of Chelidonium majus L. against two
Enterococcus faecalis strains to assess the possible use of this plant in preventing infections
caused by this pathogen. E. faecalis is a Gram-positive bacterium that commonly inhabits the
gastrointestinal tract of mammals. Enterococcal species are core constituents of the intestinal
flora of many animal species ranging from humans to flies. When they enter a wound,
bloodstream, or urinary tract, however, E. faecalis cells can cause serious infections. In
immunocompromised individuals, however, it can cause a variety of complications, including
surgical wound and urinary infections, endocarditis, and bacteremia. C. majus is a medicinal
plant well-known as a valuable source of isoquinoline alkaloids, which have a variety of
pharmacological properties including anti-viral and anti-bacterial effects.
Plant materials were harvested from natural habitats on the territory of the Kartuzy
district (54°20′N 18°12′E) in the Pomeranian province (northern part of Poland). Freshly
washed samples were weighed, crushed, and homogenized in 96 % ethanol (in proportion 1:19,
w/w) at room temperature. The extracts were then filtered and investigated for their
antimicrobial activity. The Enterococcus faecalis (Andrewes and Horder) Schleifer and Kilpper-
®
Balz (ATCC 51299™) and linezolid-resistant Enterococcus faecalis strain locally isolated were
used in the current study. Strains tested were plated on TSA medium (Tryptone Soy Agar) and
incubated for 24 h at 37 °C. The antimicrobial susceptibility testing was done on Muller-Hinton
agar by disc diffusion method (Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion susceptibility test protocol). Sterile
filter paper discs impregnated by extracts were applied over each of the culture plates, 15 min
after bacteria suspension was placed. A negative control disc impregnated by sterile 96 %
ethanol was used in each experiment. After culturing bacteria on Mueller-Hinton agar, the disks
were placed on the same plates and incubated for 24 h at 37 °C. The activity was evidenced by
the presence of a zone of inhibition surrounding the well (CLSI, 2014).
The results of the current study showed that C. majus possess weak antimicrobial
properties against the tested Enterococcus faecalis strains. The ethanolic extract obtained from
the roots of C. majus collected from rural areas exhibited the maximum antimicrobial activity
against linezolid-resistant E. faecalis strain (the mean of inhibition zone diameters was 8.85
±0.42 mm) compared to the control sample (7.1 ±0.91 mm). Stalk extracts of C. majus collected
from rural areas showed similar properties against the Enterococcus faecalis (Andrewes and
Horder) Schleifer and Kilpper-Balz (ATCC 51299™) strain (8.77 ±1.21 mm) compared to the
®
control sample (7.1 ±0.91 mm). Root extracts from C. majus collected from urban and rural
areas exhibited weak antibacterial ability against linezolid-resistant E. faecalis strains (6.46
±0.32 and 7.78 ±0.34 mm, respectively) compared to the control sample (7.10 ±0.99 mm), as
well as weak antibacterial ability against E. faecalis ATCC 51299™strains (7.90 ±1.08 and 7.97
®
±0.85 mm, respectively) compared to the control sample (7.10 ±0.99 mm). The results of this
study can induce to provide a new perspective for the use of various Papaveraceae families as
medicinal plants to improve the antibacterial responses using other strains. Identification of
precise molecular mechanisms responsible for inhibition of bacterial growth by these extracts
requires further research.
Keywords: Enterococcus faecalis, disc diffusion method, antibacterial activity, root extracts, stalk
extracts.

5 International Scientific Conference Agrobiodiversity for Improving the Nutrition, Health, Quality of Life and |116
th
Spiritual Human Development
November 3 2021
rd