title: Sarothrin from Alkanna orientalis is an antimicrobial agent and efflux pump inhibitor.
abstract: An Alkanna orientalis leaf and flower extract inhibited the growth of Staphylococcus aureus, a pathogen that causes an estimated 478 000 hospitalizations in the US annually. Bioassay-guided fractionation of A. orientalis resulted in isolation of the flavonoid sarothrin (5,7,4'-trihydroxy-3,6,8-trimethoxyflavone), which inhibited the growth of Mycobacterium smegmatis (MIC 75 µM) and S. aureus (MIC > 800 µM), and possessed efflux pump inhibitory activity. This is the first report of antimicrobial or efflux pump inhibitory activity of sarothrin, and of its presence in A. orientalis. Our findings suggest that the effectiveness of A. orientalis extracts is due to a combination of multiple constituents, including sarothrin.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The University of North Carolina Greensboro, Greensboro, NC, USA.
authors.forename: Jessica R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Bame
authors.forename: Tyler N
authors.initials: TN
authors.lastname: Graf
authors.forename: Hiyas A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Junio
authors.forename: R Owen
authors.initials: RO
authors.lastname: Bussey
authors.forename: Scott A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Jarmusch
authors.forename: Tamam
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: El-Elimat
authors.forename: Joseph O
authors.initials: JO
authors.lastname: Falkinham
authors.forename: Nicholas H
authors.initials: NH
authors.lastname: Oberlies
authors.forename: Richard A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Cech
authors.forename: Nadja B
authors.initials: NB
authors.lastname: Cech
mesh_terms: D000890:Anti-Infective Agents / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000494:pharmacology; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D028082:Boraginaceae / Q000737:chemistry*; D047309:Flavones / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000494:pharmacology; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D027425:ATP-Binding Cassette, Sub-Family C Proteins / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D000890:Anti-Infective Agents; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D047309:Flavones; D027425:ATP-Binding Cassette, Sub-Family C Proteins; D010936:Plant Extracts; C585555:5,7,4'-trihydroxy-3,6,8-trimethoxyflavone; C075040:NorA protein, Staphylococcus