Large-Scale Screening of 239 Traditional Chinese Medicinal Plant Extracts for Their Antibacterial Activities against Multidrug-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus and Cytotoxic Activities

Abstract

Novel alternative antibacterial compounds have been persistently explored from plants as natural sources to overcome antibiotic resistance leading to serious foodborne bacterial illnesses. In this study, the ethanolic extracts from 239 traditional Chinese medicinal plants (TCMP)' materials were screened to discover promising candidates that have strong antibacterial properties against multidrug-resistant <i>Staphylococcus (S.) aureus</i> and low cytotoxicity. The results revealed that 74 extracts exhibited good antibacterial activities (diameter of inhibition zone (DIZ) ≥ 15 mm). Furthermore, 18 extracts (DIZ ≥ 20 mm) were determined their minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) and minimum bactericide concentrations (MBC), ranging from 0.1 to 12.5 mg/mL and 0.78 to 25 mg/mL, respectively. In addition, most of the 18 extracts showed relatively low cytotoxicity (a median lethal concentration (LC₅₀) >100 µg/mL). The 18 extracts were further determined to estimate possible correlation of their phenolic contents with antibacterial activity, and the results did not show any significant correlation. In conclusion, this study selected out some promising antibacterial TCMP extracts with low cytotoxicity, including <i>Rhus chinensis</i> Mill., <i>Ilex rotunda</i> Thunb., <i>Leontice kiangnanensis</i> P.L.Chiu, <i>Oroxylum indicum</i> Vent., <i>Isatis tinctorial</i> L., <i>Terminalia chebula</i> Retz., <i>Acacia catechu</i> (L.f.) Willd., <i>Spatholobus suberectus</i> Dunn, <i>Rabdosia rubescens</i> (Hemsl.) H.Hara, <i>Salvia miltiorrhiza</i> Bunge, <i>Fraxinus fallax</i> Lingelsh, <i>Coptis chinensis</i> Franch., <i>Agrimonia Pilosa</i> Ledeb., and <i>Phellodendron chinense</i> C.K.Schneid.