Altholactone Displays Promising Antimicrobial Activity

The antimicrobial activity of altholactone, a naturally extracted styryllactone isolated from Goniothalamus malayanus, was determined against Gram positive (S. aureus ATTC 25923, S. aureus ATTC 25392, and E. faecalis ATTC 29212) and Gram negative (E. coli ATTC 35218, S. typhi ATTC 14023 and P. aeruginosa ATCC 27853) reference bacteria and against the fungus C. albicans ATTC 10231. Different concentrations of altholactone (0, 12, 25, and 50 μg/mL) were used. Results revealed that altholactone inhibited the growth of all tested microbes except P. aeruginosa ATCC 27853 in a dose-dependant manner, with the highest cytotoxic effects occuring at 50 μg/mL. The average of the inhibition zones of the different concentrations was between 0–30 mm. Furthermore, altholactone-induced antimicrobial activity against the more sensitive microbes was assessed by measuring the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC). Results indicated that Gram positive (S. aureus ATTC 25923, S. aureus ATTC 25392, and E. faecalis ATTC 29212) cells were more sensitive to altholactone than Gram negative ones (E. coli ATTC 35218, S. typhi ATTC 14023). C. albicans showed moderate sensitivity. These results indicate that altholactone might be a potential antimicrobial agent, particularly in ciprofloxacin-refractory S. aureus and E. faecalis infections. Further investigations are required to illustrate the mechanism(s) by which altholactone produces its antimicrobial effects.