Antimicrobial Properties of Bacterial Cellulose Films Enriched with Bioactive Herbal Extracts Obtained by Microwave-Assisted Extraction

Abstract

The use of bacterial cellulose (BC) as scaffold for active biofilms is one of the most interesting applications, especially for the biomedical and food industries. However, there are currently few studies evaluating the potential of incorporating herbal extracts into various biomaterials, including BC. Thus, the aim of this study is to report a screening of the total phenolic content and antioxidant and antimicrobial activity of ethanolic extracts of oregano, rosemary, parsley, and lovage. At the same time, the bioactive potential of BC enriched with the four ethanolic extracts is described. Microwave-assisted extraction was used to extract bioactive compounds from the four selected herbs. The physical, mechanical, structural, and chemical properties of BC were also assessed. Next, BC was enriched with the extracts, and their effect against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Candida albicans was evaluated. The results showed that the bioactivity of the herbs varied significantly, with rosemary extract being the most bioactive. The BC films possessed good mechanical properties, and a three-dimensional network fibrillar structure appropriate for ethanolic-extract incorporation. The BC samples enriched with rosemary extracts had the highest antibacterial activity against S. aureus, while E. coli. and C. albicans seemed to be resistant to all extracts, regardless of herbs.

The Bioactivities and Chemical Profile of Turnip-Rooted Parsley Germplasm

“…Variable responses against the same microbial agents were also observed for the leaf extracts of the same cultivars tested in the current study [27], while Abdu and Hauwa [66] suggested a significant antibacterial activity for parsley leaf extracts that varied depending on the extraction protocol. Moreover, Farah et al [67] and Bodeta et al [68] highlighted the efficiency of parsley ethanolic extracts against Candida tropical, Salmonella typhi and Staphylococcus aureus, while hot water extracts of parsley leaves were effective against S. aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Streptococcus pyogenes [7]. Other plant parts, such as seeds and fruit, exhibited strong antibacterial properties [40,69]; moreover, apart from solvent extracts, essential oils of parsley have shown significant antimicrobial properties, indicating the presence of potent bioactive compounds produced mostly via the shikimate pathway [70][71][72][73].…”

“…Other plant parts, such as seeds and fruit, exhibited strong antibacterial properties [40,69]; moreover, apart from solvent extracts, essential oils of parsley have shown significant antimicrobial properties, indicating the presence of potent bioactive compounds produced mostly via the shikimate pathway [70][71][72][73]. According to Marín et al [68], the antimicrobial properties of natural matrices are usually associated with the presence of dietary polyphenols that are metabolized by gut microbiota into simple bioactive compounds with diverse effects. The studies of Wolny-Koładka et al [74] and Roy et al [75] also suggested using the waste from parsley leaves or stems to produce silver nanoparticles with significant antimicrobial effects against Klebsiella pneumonia, S. aureus and Escherichia coli.…”

Enhanced Antimicrobial Activity of Biocompatible Bacterial Cellulose Films via Dual Synergistic Action of Curcumin and Triangular Silver Nanoplates

“…Different additives have been proposed to produce BC with enhanced antimicrobial properties. These include the addition of antibiotics [ 24 ], inorganic antimicrobials such as metallic nanoparticles [ 25 ], carbon nanomaterials [ 26 ] and organic antimicrobials such as bioactive substances [ 27 ] or synthetic compounds [ 28 ]. Moreover, based on reported literature, it was proved that associating two antimicrobial agents with a single composite can have great benefits due to the synergistic action of both compounds to overcome microbial resistance [ 29 , 30 ].…”

Characterization and Bioactivity of Polysaccharides Separated through a (Sequential) Biorefinery Process from Fucus spiralis Brown Macroalgae

“…The chemical composition of the marine macroalgae, including the bioactivity of valuable compounds, depends on the harvesting season, the algae species and the environmental conditions [ 8 ]. Furthermore, the separation method has a significant influence on the final chemical structure of the targeted compounds [ 9 ].…”