[Antibacterial effect of borreverine, an alkaloid isolated from Borreria verticillata (Rubiaceae)].

Abstract

Borreria verticillata, a very common tropical plant, is used in traditional pharmacopeia to recover cutaneous infections. The Borreverine alkaloid extracted from this plant had an antimicrobial action in vitro. The minimal inhibitory concentration is lower than 50 micrograms/ml for Gram positive cocci, (specially Staphylococcus aureus) and than 6 micrograms/ml for Vibrio cholerae and upper than 200 micrograms/ml for several Gram negative rod-bacteria (Enterobacteria and Pseudomonas). These preliminary results underline the interest in the research about the antimicrobial agents from plant origin, in particular concerning naturally or chemically modified alkaloids.