Biochanin A partially restores the activity of ofloxacin and ciprofloxacin against topoisomerase IV mutation-associated fluoroquinolone-resistant Ureaplasma species

Ureaplasma infections: update on epidemiology, antimicrobial resistance, and pathogenesis

Human Ureaplasma species are being increasingly recognized as opportunistic pathogens in human genitourinary tract infections, infertility, adverse pregnancy, neonatal morbidities, and other adult invasive infections. Although some general reviews have focused on the detection and clinical manifestations of Ureaplasma spp., the molecular epidemiology, antimicrobial resistance, and pathogenesis of Ureaplasma spp. have not been adequately explained. The purpose of this review is to offer valuable insights into the current understanding and future research perspectives of the molecular epidemiology, antimicrobial resistance, and pathogenesis of human Ureaplasma infections. This review summarizes the conventional culture and detection methods and the latest molecular identification technologies for Ureaplasma spp. We also reviewed the global prevalence and mechanisms of antibiotic resistance for Ureaplasma spp. Aside from regular antibiotics, novel antibiotics with outstanding in vitro antimicrobial activity against Ureaplasma spp. are described. Furthermore, we discussed the pathogenic mechanisms of Ureaplasma spp., including adhesion, proinflammatory effects, cytotoxicity, and immune escape effects, from the perspectives of pathology, related molecules, and genetics.

Biochanin A Inhibits the Growth and Biofilm of Candida Species

The aim of this study was to investigate the antifungal activity of biochanin A (BCA) against planktonic growth and biofilms of six Candida species, including C. albicans, C. parapsilosis, C. glabrata, C. tropicalis, C. auris, and C. krusei. We applied various assays that determined (a) the antimicrobial effect on growth of Candida species, (b) the effect on formation of hyphae and biofilm, (c) the effect on the expression of genes related to hyphal growth and biofilm formation, (d) the influence on cell wall structure, and (e) the effect on cell membrane integrity and permeability. Moreover, disk diffusion tests were used to investigate the effect of a combination of BCA with fluconazole to assess their possible synergistic effect on drug-resistant C. albicans, C. glabrata, and C. auris. Our results showed that the BCA MIC50 values against Candida species ranged between 125 µg/mL and 500 µg/mL, and the MIC90 values were in a concentration range from 250 µg/mL to 1000 µg/mL. The treatment with BCA inhibited adhesion of cells, cell surface hydrophobicity (CSH), and biofilm formation and reduced hyphal growth in all the analyzed Candida species. Real-time qRT-PCR revealed that BCA down-regulated the expression of biofilm-specific genes in C. albicans. Furthermore, physical destruction of C. albicans cell membranes and cell walls as a result of the treatment with BCA was observed. The combination of BCA and fluconazole did not exert synergistic effects against fluconazole-resistant Candida.

Antibacterial and immunological properties of piperine evidenced by preclinical studies: a systematic review

Aim: To review in vitro, in vivo, and in silico studies examining the antibacterial and immunomodulatory properties of piperine (PPN). Methods: This systematic review followed PRISMA guidelines, and five databases were searched. Results: A total of 40 articles were included in this study. Six aspects of PPN activity were identified, including antibacterial spectrum, association with antibiotics, efflux pump inhibition, biofilm effects, protein target binding, and modulation of immune functions/virulence factors. Most studies focused on Mycobacterium spp. and Staphylococcus aureus. Cell lineages and in vivo models were employed to study PPN antibacterial effects. Conclusion: We highlight PPN as a potential adjuvant in the treatment of bacterial infections. PPN possesses several antibacterial properties that need further exploration to determine the mechanisms behind its pharmacological activity.

AADB: A Manually Collected Database for Combinations of Antibiotics With Adjuvants

Antimicrobial resistance is a global public health concern. The lack of innovations in antibiotic development has led to renewed interest in antibiotic adjuvants. However, there is no database to collect antibiotic adjuvants. Herein, we build a comprehensive database named Antibiotic Adjuvant DataBase (AADB) by manually collecting relevant literature. Specifically, AADB includes 3,035 combinations of antibiotics with adjuvants, covering 83 antibiotics, 226 adjuvants, and 325 bacterial strains. AADB provides user-friendly interfaces for searching and downloading. Users can easily obtain these datasets for further analysis. In addition, we also collected related datasets (e.g., chemogenomic and metabolomic data) and proposed a computational strategy to dissect these datasets. As a test case, we identified 10 candidates for minocycline, and 6 of 10 candidates are the known adjuvants that synergize with minocycline to inhibit the growth of E. coli BW25113. We hope that AADB can help users to identify effective antibiotic adjuvants. AADB is freely available at http://www.acdb.plus/AADB.

Antibiotic Isoflavonoids, Anthraquinones, and Pterocarpanoids from Pigeon Pea (Cajanus cajan L.) Seeds against Multidrug-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus

Cajanus cajan L. (pigeon pea, locally known in the Philippines as kadios) seed is a functional food with health benefits that extend beyond their nutritional value. C. cajan seeds contain highly diverse secondary metabolites with enriched beneficial properties, such as antibacterial, anticancer, and antioxidant activities. However, the antibacterial activities of secondary metabolites from Philippine-grown C. cajan, against multidrug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus have not been thoroughly described. Here, we investigated the in vitro antibacterial properties of C. cajan seed against multidrug-resistant S. aureus ATCC BAA-44 (MDRSA) and three other S. aureus strains (S. aureus ATCC 25923, S. aureus ATCC 6538, and coagulase-negative S. aureus) and, subsequently, identified the antibiotic markers against S. aureus strains using mass spectrometry. Secondary metabolites from C. cajan seeds were extracted using acetone, methanol, or 95% ethanol. Antibacterial screening revealed antibiotic activity for the C. cajan acetone extract. Bioassay-guided purification of the C. cajan acetone extract afforded three semi-pure high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) fractions exhibiting 32–64 µg/mL minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) against MDRSA. Chemical profiling of these fractions using liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LCMS) identified six compounds that are antibacterial against MDRSA. High-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS), MS/MS, and dereplication using Global Natural Products Social Molecular Networking (GNPS)™, and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Library identified the metabolites as rhein, formononetin, laccaic acid D, crotafuran E, ayamenin A, and biochanin A. These isoflavonoids, anthraquinones, and pterocarpanoids from C. cajan seeds are potential bioactive compounds against S. aureus, including the multidrug-resistant strains.

Biochanin A Improves Memory Decline and Brain Pathology in Cuprizone-Induced Mouse Model of Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory and neurodegenerative disease of the central nervous system characterized by the demyelination of nerves, neural degeneration, and axonal loss. Cognitive impairment, including memory decline, is a significant feature in MS affecting up to 70% of patients. Thereby, it substantially impacts patients’ quality of life. Biochanin A (BCA) is an o-methylated isoflavone with a wide variety of pharmacological activities, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and neuroprotective activities. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the possible protective effects of BCA on memory decline in the cuprizone (CPZ) model of MS. Thirty Swiss albino male mice (SWR/J) were randomly divided into three groups (n = 10): control (normal chow + i.p. 1:9 mixture of DMSO and PBS), CPZ (0.2% w/w of CPZ mixed into chow + i.p. 1:9 mixture of DMSO and PBS), and CPZ + BCA (0.2% w/w of CPZ mixed into chow + i.p. 40 mg/kg of BCA). At the last week of the study (week 5), a series of behavioral tasks were performed. A grip strength test was performed to assess muscle weakness while Y-maze, novel object recognition task (NORT), and novel arm discrimination task (NADT) were performed to assess memory. Additionally, histological examination of the hippocampus and the prefrontal cortex (PFC) were conducted. BCA administration caused a significant increase in the grip strength compared with the CPZ group. Additionally, BCA significantly improved the mice’s spatial memory in the Y-maze and recognition memory in the NORT and the NADT compared with the CPZ group. Moreover, BCA mitigated neuronal damage in the PFC and the hippocampus after five weeks of administration. In conclusion, our data demonstrates the possible protective effect of BCA against memory deterioration in mice fed with CPZ for five weeks.

Biochanin A from Chinese Medicine: An Isoflavone with Diverse Pharmacological Properties

Biochanin A (BCA) is a dietary isoflavone, isolated from the leaves and stems of Trifolium pratense L and many other herbs of Chinese medicine. Recent findings indicated BCA as a promising drug candidate with diverse bioactive effects. On the purpose of evaluating the possibility of BCA in clinical application, this review is trying to provide a comprehensive summary of the pharmacological actions of BCA. The publications collected from PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Wiley databases were summarized for the last 10 years. Then, the potential therapeutic use of BCA on the treatment of various diseases was discussed according to its pharmacological properties, namely, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, anti-diabetic, and anti-obesity effects as well as neuroprotective, hepatoprotective, cardioprotective, and osteoprotective effects. BCA might mainly regulate the MAPK, PI3K, NRF2, and NF-kB pathways, respectively, to exert its bioactive effects. However, the limited definitive targets, poor biological availability, and insufficient safety evaluation might block the clinical application of BCA. This review may provide new insights for the development of BCA in the application of related diseases.

Biochanin A: A novel bioactive multifunctional compound from nature

Natural products (NPs) will continue to serve humans as matchless source of novel drug leads and an inspiration for the synthesis of non-natural drugs. As our scientific understanding of 'nature' is rapidly expanding, it would be worthwhile to illuminate the pharmacological distinctions of NPs to the scientific community and the public. Flavonoids have long fascinated scientists with their remarkable structural diversity as well as biological functions. Consequently, this review aims to shed light on the sources and pharmacological significance of a dietary isoflavone, biochanin A, which has been recently emerged as a multitargeted and multifunctional guardian of human health. Biochanin A possesses anti-inflammatory, anticancer, neuroprotective, antioxidant, anti-microbial, and hepatoprotective properties. It combats cancer development by inducing apoptosis, inhibition of metastasis and arresting cell cycle via targeting several deregulated signaling pathways of cancer. It fights inflammation by blocking the expression and activity of pro-inflammatory cytokines via modulation of NF-κB and MAPKs. Biochanin A acts as a neuroprotective agent by inhibiting microglial activation and apoptosis of neurons. As biochanin A has potential to modulate several biological networks, thus, it can be anticipated that this therapeutically potent compound might serve as a novel lead for drug development in the near future.

Effect of different drugs and drug combinations on killing stationary phase and biofilms recovered cells of Bartonella henselae in vitro

BACKGROUND

Bartonella henselae is a Gram-negative bacterium transmitted to humans by a scratch from cat in the presence of ectoparasites. Humans infected with B. henselae can result in various clinical diseases including local lymphadenopathy and more serious systemic disease such as persistent bacteremia and endocarditis. The current treatment of persistent B. henselae infections is not very effective and remains a challenge. To find more effective treatments for persistent and biofilm Bartonella infections, in this study, we evaluated a panel of drugs and drug combinations based on the current treatment and also promising hits identified from a recent drug screen against stationary phase and biofilm recovered cells of B. henselae.

RESULTS

We evaluated 14 antibiotics and 25 antibiotic combinations for activity against stationary phase B. henselae (all antibiotics were at 5 μg/ml) and found that ciprofloxacin, gentamicin, and nitrofurantoin were the most active agents, while clofazimine and miconazole had poor activity. Drug combinations azithromycin/ciprofloxacin, azithromycin/methylene blue, rifampin/ciprofloxacin, and rifampin/methylene blue could rapidly kill stationary phase B. henselae with no detectable CFU after 1-day exposure. Methylene blue and rifampin were the most active agents against the biofilm B. henselae after 6 days of drug exposure. Antibiotic combinations (azithromycin/ciprofloxacin, azithromycin/methylene blue, rifampin/ciprofloxacin, rifampin/methylene blue) completely eradicated the biofilm B. henselae after treatment for 6 days.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings may facilitate development of more effective treatment of persistent Bartonella infections in the future.

Perspectives Regarding the Role of Biochanin A in Humans

Biochanin A (BCA) is an isoflavone mainly found in red clover with poor solubility and oral absorption that is known to have various effects, including anti-inflammatory, estrogen-like, and glucose and lipid metabolism modulatory activity, as well as cancer preventive, neuroprotective, and drug interaction effects. BCA is already commercially available and is among the main ingredients in many types of supplements used to alleviate postmenopausal symptoms in women. The activity of BCA has not been adequately evaluated in humans. However, the results of many in vitro and in vivo studies investigating the potential health benefits of BCA are available, and the complex mechanisms by which BCA modulates transcription, apoptosis, metabolism, and immune responses have been revealed. Many efforts have been exerted to improve the poor bioavailability of BCA, and very promising results have been reported. This review focuses on the major effects of BCA and its possible molecular targets, potential uses, and limitations in health maintenance and treatment.