Plants of the Orenburg region against infections
World’s first OSU scientists suggested to create antibacterial drugs from medicinal plants against the chemical communication between organisms.
The project of Anna Tolmacheva “Resource potential of medicinal plants of the Orenburg region as the source of a new class of compounds — inhibitors of the system, the quorum-sensing bacteria” was supported at the regional level. As the scientist explains, bacterial cells exist in the community like myself and use a complex system of intercellular chemical communication – Quorum sensing (QS) — to better adapt to changing environmental conditions.
QS controls a variety of important processes of vital activity of microorganisms, including such important for Biomedicine, such as the development of factors of virulence (ability to infect) antibiotic resistance and formation of biofilms (microorganisms attached to each other on any surface).
— A group of young scientists experimentally investigated medicinal plants of the Orenburg region as the source of a new class of compounds that suppress the course of physiological and physicochemical processes of bacteria, — says Anna . Were selected 20 medicinal plants that grow in the Orenburg region and used in traditional folk medicine of gleichenia and prevention of infectious diseases: yarrow, bearberry, birch, succession, marigold, celandine, cinquefoil, juniper, rosemary, chamomile, plantain, oak, rose hips, sage, dandelion, mother-and-stepmother, violet and others. From infusions and decoctions has received the powder, which already make solutions of the desired concentrations for testing pure cultures of microorganisms or for chromatography (study of physico-chemical properties). Studied the biosample was aged a day in thermostat at temperature + 28° C, after which a direct antibacterial effect was recorded in the form of transparent areas with a complete lack of growth of the culture, and QS effect (no communication between cells) was determined by colorless, but viable halo around the hole.
Scientists were able to examine medicinal plants from the point of view of their use against bacterial infections caused by microorganisms with a quorum-sensing-dependent systems of pathogenicity.
The novelty of this research is to determine the most effective compositions from whole extracts of medicinal plants, which in such a complex activity greatly complement each other, says Anna .
In the next three years will be the development of drugs in liquids, tablets and ointments. In order to avoid patient allergies and other side effects you can create medicines of pure compounds isolated from plants or chemically derived full of their peers.
— At the present time all over the world no one tried to combine effective herbs to fight with the chemical communication of bacteria — says a young scientist from OSU Anna Tolmacheva . and in pharmacology, there is a false belief that one plant – single active component. We have proved that it is not so!