Psoralea corylifolia L. and its active component isobavachalcone demonstrate antibacterial activity against...

Psoralea corylifolia L. (Fabaceae) is a traditional medicinal herb used to treat various diseases, including kidney disease, asthma, psoriasis and vitiligo.

To explore the antibacterial activity of Psoralea corylifolia L. and its bioactive components against Mycobacterium abscessus (M. abscessus).

Ultra high performance liquid chromatography was utilized to analyze the bioactive fractions and compounds present in 30%, 60%, and 90% ethanol extracts of Psoralea corylifolia L.. The antibacterial effects of Psoralea corylifolia L. and potential active ingredients were determined by minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC). The bactericidal activity of the active ingredient isobavachalcone was evaluated and then scanning electron microscopy was used to explore the bactericidal mechanism of isobavachalcone.

The 90% ethanol extracts of Psoralea corylifolia L. showed significant antibacterial activity against M. abscessus, with an MIC of 156 μg/mL. Isobavachalcone was identified as the bioactive ingredient, and testing of 118 clinical isolates of M. abscessus indicated their MICs ranged from 2 to 16 μg/mL, with an average MIC of 8 μg/mL. Furthermore, the minimum bactericidal concentration/MIC ratio and the time-kill test indicated rapid bactericidal activity of isobavachalcone against M. abscessus. Finally, we found that the bactericidal mechanism of isobavachalcone involved damage to the bacterial cell membrane, causing wrinkled and sunken cell surface and a noticeable reduction in bacterial length.

Psoralea corylifolia L. ethanol extracts as well as its active component isobavachalcone show promising antimicrobial activity against M. abscessus.