Plant Extracts as Antimicrobial Agents in Sustainable Conservation of Erythrina caffra (Fabaceae) Historical Trees

Abstract

Microbial colonization plays a relevant role in the biodegradation and biodeterioration of cultural and natural heritage, representing a revealing problem in conservation strategy. In this study, the essential oil (EO) and hydro-alcoholic extract (HAE) of Origanum vulgare L. (Lamiaceae), an aromatic perennial plant, representative of the Mediterranean basin, growing spontaneously and cultivated all over the world, were analysed. Natural products, such as essential oil and hydro-alcoholic extract, have strong antiseptic and antimicrobial properties and are ad hoc applied for the sustainable conservation of Erithryna caffra (Fabaceae). The main taxa revealed in the damaging of these arboreal heritage, are Bacillus sp., Streptomyces sp. and Terribacillus sp. (as bacteria), Alternaria sp., Aspergillus sp. and Chaetomium sp. (as fungi). GS-MS analysis identified carvacrol, thymol and their biosynthetic precursors γ-terpinene and p-cymene, as main components, and the antimicrobial efficiency assayed by in vitro methods (Agar Dish Diffusion, Well Plate Diffusion). In this study, by combining the application/exposure of both HAE and EO, the bacterial and fungal colonies development has been in vitro countered. The results confirm the possible use of plant products as a valid alternative to the traditional synthetic chemical biocides, with full respect to the environment.

Artemisia fragrans Willd. Essential Oil: Chemical Profile and Insecticidal Potential against the Confused Flour Beetle, Tribolium confusum du Val

“…The search for green strategies as a valid alternative to synthetic chemical pesticides has been active for many decades in the agricultural, pharmaceutical, food, and cosmetic industries [4][5][6], as well as in the conservation of cultural and landscape heritage [7][8][9]. Plant-derived essential oils are a complex mixture of active and volatile compounds, which are usually seen as aromatic and aliphatic compounds [10].…”

Impacts of Hydrophobic Mismatch on Antimicrobial Peptide Efficacy and Bilayer Permeabilization

“…These developments have led to significant interest in the development of new antibiotics to combat the growing resistance phenomenon. There are numerous different approaches and classes of molecules being investigated as potential new antimicrobial treatments including traditional small molecules [5,6], peptides [7][8][9], peptide and protein mimetics [10][11][12][13][14], hydrogels [15,16], synthetic polymers [17,18], bacterial communication inhibitors [19,20], metals [21][22][23], nanoparticles [24,25], extracts from natural products [26,27], and combinatorial approaches [28][29][30].…”