In Vitro Antimicrobial Activity of Embothrium coccineum Used as Traditional Medicine in Patagonia against Multiresistant Bacteria.
Embothrium coccineumJ.R. Forst. &amp; G. Forst is an evergreen tree that has been used as a folk remedy for the treatment of neuralgia, tooth pains, wound healing, and glandular conditions, as well as an antiseptic agent against bacterial infection. The antibacterial activities of sequential extracts (hexane, dichloromethane, ethyl acetate, and ethanol) from the leaves ofE. coccineumwere evaluated by means of the micro-dilution assay against six (Escherichia coli;Klebsiella pneumoniae;Proteus mirabilis;Pseudomonas aeruginosa;Staphylococcus aureusandStreptococcus pyogenes) multiresistant bacteria strains. Ethyl acetate extract showed the best spectra of antibacterial activity against all tested bacteria, and was analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) for its composition. The results of the present work provide useful baseline information for the potential development and use of nanoparticles and/or nanofibers doped with extracts ofE. coccineumin the fight against multiresistant bacteria, which would allow the validation of the traditional use ofE. coccineumby native peoples of Patagonia as an antimicrobial agent in the biomedical Field.
Escuela de Tecnología Médica Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Central de Chile, Edificio Gonzalo Hernández Uribe, Lord Cochrane 417, Santiago Centro 8320000, Chile. nicole.canales@alumnos.ucentral.cl.
Nicole
N
Canales
Escuela de Obstetricia y Puericultura, Facultad de medicina, Campus de la Salud, Universidad de Valparaíso, Angamos 655, Reñaca, Viña del Mar 2520000, Chile. ivan.montenegro@uv.cl.
Iván
I
Montenegro
Centro de Investigaciones Biomédicas (CIB), Escuela de Medicina, Universidad de Valparaíso, Av. Hontaneda No. 2664, Valparaíso 2340000, Chile. mario.parraga@uv.cl.
Mario
M
Párraga
Center for Integrative Medicine and Innovative Science (CIMIS), Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Andrés Bello, Santiago 8320000, Chile. yusser.olguin@unab.cl.
Yusser
Y
Olguín
Instituto de Microbiología Clínica, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Austral de Chile, Los Laureles s/n, Isla Teja, Valdivia 5090000, Chile. patricio.godoy@uach.cl.
Patricio
P
Godoy
Departamento de Ciencias Básicas, Campus Fernando May Universidad del Biobío, Avda. Andrés Bello s/n casilla 447, Chillán 3780000, Chile. ewerner@ubiobio.cl.
Enrique
E
Werner
Departamento de Química, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Exactas, Universidad de Playa Ancha, Avda. Leopoldo Carvallo 270, Playa Ancha, Valparaíso 2340000, Chile. alejandro.madrid@upla.cl.
Alejandro
A
Madrid
D000890:Anti-Infective Agents / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology; D001419:Bacteria / Q000254:growth & development*; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000188:drug therapy*; D002677:Chile; D024901:Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial / Q000187:drug effects*; D006801:Humans; D019684:Magnoliopsida; D008519:Medicine, Traditional; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology
D000890:Anti-Infective Agents; D010936:Plant Extracts
Embothrium coccineum; antimicrobial activity; leaves; multiresistant bacteria; sequential extracts