Antimicrobial potentials of active component isolated from Citrullus colocynthis fruits and structure-activity relationships of its analogues against foodborne bacteria

BACKGROUND

Synthetic preservatives have been consistently used to maintain the quality of food products. However, the degree of danger to human health cannot be ignored. In this study, the antimicrobial activities of Citrullus colocynthis fruits and 4-methylquinoline analogues were investigated to develop natural preservatives against foodborne bacteria.

RESULTS

Antimicrobial activities of the methanol extract and five fractions derived from C. colocynthis fruits were evaluated against five foodborne bacteria. The chloroform fraction possessed strong activities against five foodborne bacteria. 4-Methylquinoline was isolated by chromatographic analyses. To establish the structure-activity relationships, the antimicrobial activities of 4-methylquinoline analogues (2-hydroxyquinoline, 4-hydroxyquinoline, 6-hydroxyquinoline, 2-methylquinoline, 6-methyquinoline, 8-methylquinoline and 2-methyl-8-hydroxyquinoline) were tested against food-borne bacteria. When employing the agar diffusion method, 2-methyl-8-hydroxyquinoline was found to have potent activities against the five foodborne bacteria. In terms of minimum bactericidal concentration or minimum inhibitory concentration, 2-methyl-8-hydroxyquinoline had significantly higher antimicrobial activity against the five foodborne bacteria.

CONCLUSION

Citrullus colocynthis fruits and 4-methylquinoline analogues could be useful for the development of eco-friendly food supplemental agents and pharmaceuticals.

Biofunctional constituent isolated from Citrullus colocynthis fruits and structure-activity relationships of its analogues show acaricidal and insecticidal efficacy

The acaricidal and insecticidal potential of the active constituent isolated from Citrullus colocynthis fruits and its structurally related analogues was evaluated by performing leaf disk, contact toxicity, and fumigant toxicity bioassays against Tetranychus urticae, Sitophilus oryzae, and Sitophilus zeamais adults. The active constituent of C. colocynthis fruits was isolated by chromatographic techniques and was identified as 4-methylquinoline on the basis of spectroscopic analyses. To investigate the structure-activity relationships, 4-methylquinoline and its structural analogues were tested against mites and two insect pests. On the basis of the LC50 values, 7,8-benzoquinoline was the most effective against T. urticae. Quinoline, 8-hydroxyquinoline, 2-methylquinoline, 4-methylquinoline, 6-methylquinoline, 8-methylquinoline, and 7,8-benzoquinoline showed high insecticidal activities against S. oryzae and S. zeamais regardless of the application method. These results indicate that introduction of a functional group into the quinoline skeleton and changing the position of the group have an important influence on the acaricidal and insecticidal activities. Furthermore, 4-methylquinoline isolated from C. colocynthis fruits, along with its structural analogues, could be effective natural pesticides for managing spider mites and stored grain weevils.