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In Vitro Antimicrobial Potential of the Lichen Parmotrema sp. Extracts against Various Pathogens
Ritika Chauhan1, Jayanthi Abraham
1Microbial Biotechnology Laboratory, School of Biosciences and Technology, VIT University, Vellore-632014, Tamil Nadu, India.
Objective(S):
The ongoing increasing antibiotic resistance is one of the biggest challenges faced by global public health. The perennial need for new antimicrobials against a background of increasing antibiotic resistance in pathogenic and opportunistic microorganisms obliges the scientific community to constantly develop new drugs and antimicrobial agents. Lichens are known prolific sources of natural antimicrobial drugs and biologically active natural products. This study was aimed to explore in vitro antimicrobial activity of lichen Parmotrema sp.
Material And Methods:
The methanol and aqueous extracts of lichen Parmotrema sp. was extracted using Soxhlet extractor. Antibiotic assessment of methanol and aqueous extracts was done against eight bacterial (Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Proteus mirabilis, Salmonella sp., Shigella sp., Enterococci faecalis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae,) clinical pathogens and five plant pathogenic fungal strains (Aspergillus terreus strain JAS1, Scedosporium sp. JAS1, Ganoderma sp. JAS4, Candida tropicalis and Fusarium sp.) by Kirby-Bauer method.
Results:
The methanol lichen Parmotrema sp. extract inhibited all the test organisms. The highest antibacterial activity was found against Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus. The weakest activity was manifested in Salmonella sp. and Scedosporium sp. JAS1. Strong antifungal effect was found against Ganoderma sp. JAS4 and Fusarium sp. The aqueous lichen Parmotrema sp. extract revealed neither antibacterial nor antifungal activity.
Conclusion:
The present study shows that tested lichen Parmotrema sp. extracts demonstrated a strong antimicrobial effect. That suggests the active components from methanol extracts of the investigated lichen Parmotrema sp. can be used as natural antimicrobial agent against pathogens.
Insights
This study found that methanol extracts from the lichen Parmotrema sp. exhibit significant antimicrobial activity against various bacterial and fungal pathogens. These findings highlight the potential of lichens as a source for novel natural antimicrobial agents.
Area of Science:
- Natural Product Chemistry
- Microbiology
- Pharmacognosy
Background:
- Antibiotic resistance poses a significant global public health threat, necessitating the discovery of new antimicrobial agents.
- Lichens are recognized as a rich source of biologically active compounds with potential medicinal applications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the in vitro antimicrobial activity of extracts from the lichen Parmotrema sp.
- To evaluate the efficacy of methanol and aqueous extracts against a panel of clinical bacterial and plant pathogenic fungal strains.
Main Methods:
- Methanol and aqueous extracts of Parmotrema sp. were prepared using a Soxhlet extractor.
- Antimicrobial activity was assessed using the Kirby-Bauer method against eight bacterial and five fungal strains.
Main Results:
- The methanol extract demonstrated broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity, inhibiting all tested organisms.
- Significant antibacterial activity was observed against Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus.
- Strong antifungal activity was noted against Ganoderma sp. and Fusarium sp. The aqueous extract showed no antimicrobial activity.
Conclusions:
- Parmotrema sp. methanol extract possesses potent antimicrobial properties, indicating its potential as a natural antimicrobial agent.
- The findings suggest that active compounds from Parmotrema sp. could be developed into novel therapeutic agents to combat resistant pathogens.
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