Antibacterial properties of flavonoids from kino of the eucalypt tree, Corymbia torelliana

Motahareh Nobakht; Stephen J Trueman; Helen M Wallace; Peter R Brooks; Klrissa Streeter; Mohammad Katouli

doi:10.3390/plants6030039

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Antibacterial properties of flavonoids from kino of the eucalypt tree, Corymbia torelliana

Journal article

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Antibacterial properties of flavonoids from kino of the eucalypt tree, Corymbia torelliana

Motahareh Nobakht, Stephen J Trueman, Helen M Wallace, Peter R Brooks, Klrissa Streeter and Mohammad Katouli

Plants, Vol.6(3), 39

2017

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/plants6030039

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Abstract

antibiotic resistance

antimicrobial activity

cytotoxicity

ethnobotany

Eucalyptus

natural products

Pseudomonas aeruginosa

stingless bees

Tetragonula

traditional medicine

Traditional medicine and ecological cues can both help to reveal bioactive natural compounds. Indigenous Australians have long used kino from trunks of the eucalypt tree, Corymbia citriodora, in traditional medicine. A closely related eucalypt, C. torelliana, produces a fruit resin with antimicrobial properties that is highly attractive to stingless bees. We tested the antimicrobial activity of extracts from kino of C. citriodora, C. torelliana × C. citriodora, and C. torelliana against three Gram-negative and two Gram-positive bacteria and the unicellular fungus, Candida albicans. All extracts were active against all microbes, with the highest activity observed against P. aeruginosa. We tested the activity of seven flavonoids from the kino of C. torelliana against P. aeruginosa and S. aureus. All flavonoids were active against P. aeruginosa, and one compound, (+)-(2S)-40 ,5,7-trihydroxy-6-methylflavanone, was active against S. aureus. Another compound, 4 0 ,5,7-trihydroxy-6,8-dimethylflavanone, greatly increased biofilm formation by both P. aeruginosa and S. aureus. The presence or absence of methyl groups at positions 6 and 8 in the flavonoid A ring determined their anti-Staphylococcus and biofilm-stimulating activity. One of the most abundant and active compounds, 3,40 ,5,7-tetrahydroxyflavanone, was tested further against P. aeruginosa and was found to be bacteriostatic at its minimum inhibitory concentration of 200 µg/mL. This flavanonol reduced adhesion of P. aeruginosa cells while inducing no cytotoxic effects in Vero cells. This study demonstrated the antimicrobial properties of flavonoids in eucalypt kino and highlighted that traditional medicinal knowledge and ecological cues can reveal valuable natural compounds.

Details

Title: Antibacterial properties of flavonoids from kino of the eucalypt tree, Corymbia torelliana
Authors: Motahareh Nobakht (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast - Faculty of Science, Health, Education and Engineering
Stephen J Trueman (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast - Faculty of Science, Health, Education and Engineering
Helen M Wallace (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast - Faculty of Science, Health, Education and Engineering
Peter R Brooks (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast - Faculty of Science, Health, Education and Engineering
Klrissa Streeter (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast - Faculty of Science, Health, Education and Engineering
Mohammad Katouli (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast - Faculty of Science, Health, Education and Engineering
Publication details: Plants, Vol.6(3), 39; 15
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date published: 2017
DOI: 10.3390/plants6030039
ISSN: 2223-7747
Copyright note: Copyright © 2017 The Authors. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. (CC BY 4.0).
Organisation Unit: School of Science and Engineering - Legacy; University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland; GeneCology Research Centre - Legacy; School of Health and Sport Sciences - Legacy; School of Science, Technology and Engineering; Centre for Bioinnovation; School of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Legacy
Language: English
Record Identifier: 99450465602621
Output Type: Journal article

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