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Butterflies Extracts Show Antibacterial Activity
Foodborne Toxin Detection & Prevention Research Unit, United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Western Regional Research Center, Albany, CA, USA
Ashton Wold, Peterborough, UK
Department of Human Microbiology, Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
Aberystwyth University-IBERS, Aberystwyth, UK
Aberystwyth University-IBERS, Aberystwyth, UK
Foodborne Toxin Detection & Prevention Research Unit, United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Western Regional Research Center, Albany, CA, USA
Foodborne Toxin Detection & Prevention Research Unit, United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Western Regional Research Center, Albany, CA, USA
- 1 Foodborne Toxin Detection & Prevention Research Unit, United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Western Regional Research Center, Albany, CA, USA
- 2 Ashton Wold, Peterborough, UK
- 3 Department of Human Microbiology, Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
- 4 Aberystwyth University-IBERS, Aberystwyth, UK
- 5 Aberystwyth University-IBERS, Aberystwyth, UK
- 6 Foodborne Toxin Detection & Prevention Research Unit, United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Western Regional Research Center, Albany, CA, USA
- 7 Foodborne Toxin Detection & Prevention Research Unit, United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Western Regional Research Center, Albany, CA, USA
Advances in Microbiology·Volume 07 (2017)·Pages 467–479·Published 9 June 2017·DOI10.4236/aim.2017.76036
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Abstract
Extracts of several British butterfly species were tested and shown to possess powerful bactericidal activity against gram-positive bacteria (tested on Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus anthracis ). The active compounds in the grass-feeding species were identified as hydroxylated pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) related to loline with nitrogen at C-1. Lolines are known insecticidal and insect-deterrent compounds that are produced in grasses infected by endophytic fungal symbionts. Lolines also increase resistance of endophyte-infected grasses to insect herbivores. The butterfly-isolated pyrrolizidine alkaloids appear to be novel and non-toxic to human cells such as HaCat human skin keratinocytes and Hep-2 human epithelial cells. The discovery of novel agents from butterflies could lead to the development of new antimicrobials.
KeywordsPyrrolizidine AlkaloidsBritish Butterflies<i>Staphylococcus aureus</i>Antimicrobial
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