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In vitro Activity on Human Gut Bacteria of Murta Leaf Extracts ( Ugni molinae turcz.), a Native Plant from Southern Chile
Author(s) -
Shene Carolina,
Canquil Nelly,
Jorquera Milko,
Pinelo Manuel,
Rubilar Mónica,
Acevedo Francisca,
Vergara Carola,
von Baer Dietrich,
Mardones Claudia
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
journal of food science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.772
H-Index - 150
eISSN - 1750-3841
pISSN - 0022-1147
DOI - 10.1111/j.1750-3841.2012.02692.x
Subject(s) - chemistry , food science , antimicrobial , bacteria , microbiology and biotechnology , biology , genetics
Despite the fact that murta infusions have been used to treat gut/urinary infections by native Chileans for centuries, the mechanisms promoting such effects still remain unclear. As a first attempt to unravel these mechanisms, human fecal samples were incubated in a medium containing water extract of murta leaves (ML) and the growth of different bacterial groups was evaluated. Control incubations were made in media containing fructooligosaccharides (FOS) and glucose as a carbon source. Phenolic compounds in the ML extract, likely promoters of bioactivity, were identified by HPLC–DAD–MS n . Concentrations (log 10 CFU/mL) of bifidobacteria and lactobacilli in media containing the extract and FOS were 7.33 ± 0.05/4.95 ± 0.20 and 6.44 ± 0.22/6.05 ± 0.06, respectively. Clostridia, anaerobes and Enterobacteriaceae grew to a similar extent in media containing murta extract and FOS. In vitro tests (disk diffusion) showed that Gram‐positive ( Bacillus and Paenibacillaceae ) and Gram‐negative ( Enterobacteriaceae ) bacteria isolated from fecal samples were sensitive to both water and 50/50 ethanol/water extracts of ML (28.4 μg gallic acid equivalents). At this concentration, the antimicrobial activity of ML extracts was significantly ( P < 0.05) lower than that of penicillin (10 U), whereas the difference between activity of ML extracts and gentamicine (10 μg) was no significant ( P > 0.05). No evidence of dependency between the antimicrobial activity of ML extracts and the enzymatic capability of the sensitive strains was found.