In vitroscreening and evaluation of some Indian medicinal plants for their potential to inhibit Jack bean and bacterial ureases causing urinary infections

Abstract

ORIGINAL ARTICLEIn vitro screening and evaluation of some Indian medicinal plants for their potential to inhibit Jack bean and bacterial ureases causing urinary infections Sheema Bai, Pooja Bharti, Leena Seasotiya, Anupma Malik, and Sunita Dalal Department of Biotechnology, Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra, Haryana, India Abstract Context: Bacterial ureases play an important role in pathogenesis of urinary infections. Selection of plants was done on the basis of their uses by the local people for the treatment of various bacterial and urinary infections. Objective: Our investigation screens and evaluates 15 Indian medicinal plants for their possible urease inhibitory activity as well as their ability to inhibit bacteria causing urinary infections. Materials and methods: Plant extracts in three different solvents (methanol, aqueous, and cow urine) were screened for their effect on Jack-bean urease using the phenol-hypochlorite method. Subsequently, seven bacterial strains were screened for their ability to release urease and further antimicrobial-linked urease inhibition activity and minimum inhibitory concentration of the tested extracts were evaluated by the agar well diffusion and microdilution method, respectively. Results: Five plants out of 15 crude extracts revealed good urease inhibitory activity (!20% at 1 mg/ml conc.) and IC 50 values for these extracts ranged from 2.77 to 0.70 mg/ml. Further testing of these extracts on urease-producing bacterial strains (Staphylococcus aureus NCDC 109, S. aureus MTCC 3160, Proteus vulgaris MTCC 426, Klebsiella pneumoniae MTCC 4030, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa MTCC 7453) showed good anti-urease potency with an MIC ranging from 500 to 7.3 mg/ml. Discussion and conclusion: The results of screening as well as susceptibility assay clearly revealed a strong urease inhibitory effect of Acacia nilotica L. (Fabaceae), Emblica officinalis Gaertn. (Phyllanthaceae), Psidium guajava L. (Myrtaceae), Rosa indica L. (Rosaceae), and Terminalia chebula Retz. (Combretaceae). Our findings may help to explain the beneficial effect of these plants against infections associated with the urease enzyme.

Therapeutic Applications of Rose Hips from Different Rosa Species

“…Bai et al [204] reported the urease inhibitory effect of Rosa indica extracts as well as their antimicrobial effect displayed against five bacteria strain commonly found in UTIs. The authors did not delve into the concrete phytochemical that performs this inhibition, but the anti-urease activity of certain phenolic compounds has been well demonstrated [205].…”

“…Therefore, phenolic content of Rosa indica are the most likely urease inhibitor agents. Moreover, results from Bai et al [204] might also be included within the previous section of “Renal disturbances”, since by preventing from crystals and stones formation they indirectly avoid nephrolithiasis or other kidney injuries. …”

Limited effectiveness of over-the-counter plant preparations used for the treatment of urinary tract infections as inhibitors of the urease activity fromStaphylococcus saprophyticus

“…), and India (Bai et al . ) were all tested using the enzyme from Jack Beans. Although some showed inhibitory activity against that enzyme, none of the other preparations we tested had much effect on the enzyme from S. saprophyticus .…”

“…The extracts of horseradish (Armoraciae rusticanae) and broccoli (B. oleracea) contain sulforaphane and other isothiocyanates that reduced the urease activity from H. pylori (Fahey et al 2013), but these preparations also had no effect of the enzyme from S. saprophyticus. Other extracts, including those from Gingko biloba (Mahernia et al 2015) and various plants found in Iran (Biglar et al 2012;Nabati et al 2012), Kashmir (Ghous et al 2010), and India (Bai et al 2015) were all tested using the enzyme from Jack Beans. Although some showed inhibitory activity against that enzyme, none of the other preparations we tested had much effect on the enzyme from S. saprophyticus.…”

“…The protein typically contains three subunits and two Ni 2+ ions at the active site. In looking for new products that might be used to treat UTIs, investigators have tested many plant extracts as inhibitors of urease activity using the enzymes from Jack Beans (Canavalia ensiformis), P. mirabilis or Helicobacter pylori as model systems (Ghous et al 2010;Biglar et al 2012;Nabati et al 2012;Amin et al 2013;Bai et al 2015;Mahernia et al 2015;Modolo et al 2015). These preparations may contain inhibitors with diverse chemical structures (Hassan and Zemli cka 2016).…”