Antimicrobial and anti-biofilm activity of Polygonum chinense L.aqueous extract against Staphylococcus aureus

Abstract

Polygonum chinense Linn. (Polygonum chinense L.) is one of the main raw materials of Chinese patent medicines such as Guangdong herbal tea. The increasing antibiotic resistance of S. aureus and the biofilm poses a serious health threat to humans, and there is an urgent need to provide new antimicrobial agents. As a traditional Chinese medicine, the antibacterial effect of Polygonum chinense L. has been reported, but the antibacterial mechanism of Polygonum chinense L.aqueous extract and its effect on biofilm have not been studied in great detail, which hinders its application as an effective antibacterial agent. In this study, the mechanism of action of Polygonum chinense L.aqueous extract on Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and its biofilm was mainly evaluated by morphological observation, flow cytometry and laser confocal experiments. Our findings demonstrate that Polygonum chinense L.aqueous extract has a significant bacteriostatic effect on S. aureus. The result of growth curve exhibits that Polygonum chinense L.aqueous extract presents a significant inhibitory effect against S. aureus. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) reveals that Polygonum chinense L.aqueous extract exerts a potent destruction of the cell wall of S. aureus and a significant inhibitory effect on the formation of S. aureus biofilm. In addition, flow cytometry showed the ability of Polygonum chinense L.aqueous extract to promote apoptosis by disrupting cell membranes of S. aureus. Notably, confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) images illustrated the ability of Polygonum chinense L.aqueous to inhibit the formation of S. aureus biofilms in a dose-dependent manner. These results suggested that Polygonum chinense L.aqueous is a promising alternative antibacterial and anti-biofilm agent for combating infections caused by planktonic and biofilm cells of S. aureus.

Antimicrobial peptidase lysostaphin at subinhibitory concentrations modulates staphylococcal adherence, biofilm formation, and toxin production

“…3 ). This finding was consistent with prior findings for Polygonum Chinese L. aqueous extract therapy of S. aureus [ 41 ]. It should be noted that the integrity of the bacterial cell surface is critical not only for cell protection but also for housing enzymes involved in cellular functions like the production of energy.…”

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“…There have been many reports on the use of TEM for virus observation. For instance, cucumber mosaic virus, tobacco rattle virus, ranunculus mild mosaic virus, zucchini tigre mosaic virus, and staphylococcus aureus were observed in different host [23][24][25][26][27][28]. In this study, the Sphular virus particles were observed under TEM by negative staining for the samples and the diameter ranged from 80 to 120nm.…”

Dietary supplementation of Polygonum chinense improves the immunity of Asian seabass, Lates calcarifer (Bloch, 1790) against Vibrio harveyi infection

“…A few Polygonum species are traditionally used as Chinese medical herbs and possess antioxidant properties [37] . Additionally, P. chinense and other Polygonum extracts, such as Polygonum persicaria and Polygonum plejebum have been reported to contain antibacterial and antifungal properties [38] , [39] , [40] , [41] . The current study aimed to determine the efficiency of P. chinense extract as a dietary supplement on survival, haemato-biochemical and immune parameters following V. harveyi challenge.…”