Antimicrobial Potential of Medicinal Plants extracts

Antimicrobial Potential of Medicinal Plants extracts | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Antimicrobial Potential of Medicinal Plants extracts Vivaswaan Pandey, Sapana Kanyal This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-9297979/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Background: The surge of antimicrobial resistance makes it necessary to look for new sources of drugs; medicinal plants still form a supplier of bioactive secondary metabolites for the future. Objectives: The goal of the study was to test the ethnic selected medicinal plants for in vitro activity against a specific group of human pathogens, assess the strength (MIC/MBC), analyse the phytochemistry, examine mechanisms of action and interactions, conduct preliminary toxicity testing on mammalian cells to prioritize the leads for further development. Methods: The polarity series (hexane, ethyl acetate, 70% ethanol, aqueous; hydrodistillation for essential oils) was used to extract eight taxa, which were then subjected to agar diffusion and CLSI-guided broth microdilution (resazurin confirmation) screening. Phytochemical characterization included qualitative tests, total phenolic/flavonoid quantification (TPC/TFC), TLC, HPLC–DAD, and GC–MS. Mechanistic assays included membrane integrity, antibiofilm and quorum-sensing inhibition, time–kill kinetics, and checkerboard synergy with ciprofloxacin. Cytotoxicity (HepG2) determined CC₅₀ and selectivity indices (SI = CC₅₀/MIC). Results: Aromatic, phenolic-molecule-rich extracts—Thymus vulgaris and Origanum vulgare—proved to be the strongest and most reliable antimicrobial agents (zones over 25 mm; MIC₅₀≈31.25 µg/mL; geometric mean MICs≈45–50 µg/mL), they were active in a way that disrupted membranes (leakage of ~68–72% at 1× MIC), Diminution of antibacterial biofilm activity was substantial (~73–78% at 100 µg/mL), rapid bactericidal kinetics (≥3 log₁₀ reduction at 24 h) and synergistic interactions with ciprofloxacin (FICI ≈ 0.42–0.45). Terminalia chebula was the next to be tested with moderate potency (MIC₅₀≈62.5 µg/mL). Very strong positive relationship was noticed between TPC and the antimicrobial power (r≈+0.74 vs zone; r≈−0.71 vs MIC, p<0.01). In safety profiling, the winning ones were Thymus and Origanum (HepG2 CC₅₀≈1,400–1,500 µg/mL; SI≈28–33). Conclusion: Ethnobotanical selection along with standardized assays pointed out Thymus and Origanum as high-priority leads for bioassay-guided isolation and preclinical evaluation; further fractionation, pharmacokinetics and in vivo toxicity/efficacy studies are suggested. Biochemical Research Methods medicinal plants antimicrobial activity phenolic compounds MIC bioassay-guided fractionation Full Text Additional Declarations The authors declare no competing interests. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-9297979","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":616302034,"identity":"1b4e4319-ea8a-4b9d-8b89-0e582827fc57","order_by":0,"name":"Vivaswaan Pandey","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAABCUlEQVRIiWNgGAWjYDACZmQODwODHIg+8IAULcZgLQlEWwnUktgAYuDTYnCcx/DjzzY7eXPp5mcP3lQcTp8fdvgh0BY7Od0GHFoO8xhL87YlG+6cc8zccM6Zw7kbb6cZALUkG5sdwK5FspktQZpxGzPjhhsJZkC9QC2zE0BaDiRuw60l+efPbfX2G26kf5Pm/Xc43XB2+ge8WviZmY9J8G47nLjhRg7QlobDCfLSOfhtAWmx5v13PHnDnTNlknOOpRtukM4pOJBggNsvbPwHm2/+OFNtu+F2+zaJNzXW8vKz0zd/+FBhJ4dLCwJIgMlmBgOwSgNCyhFa6hjkG4hRPQpGwSgYBSMJAAAB2mNwYixTbQAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==","orcid":"","institution":"University of Lucknow","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Vivaswaan","middleName":"","lastName":"Pandey","suffix":""},{"id":616302035,"identity":"063eb0c2-0b2b-4841-8e38-5b70834cded4","order_by":1,"name":"Sapana Kanyal","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Lucknow","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Sapana","middleName":"","lastName":"Kanyal","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2026-04-02 04:34:25","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":{"humanSubjects":false,"vertebrateSubjects":true,"conflictsOfInterestStatement":false,"humanSubjectEthicalGuidelines":false,"humanSubjectConsent":false,"humanSubjectClinicalTrial":false,"humanSubjectCaseReport":false,"vertebrateSubjectEthicalGuidelines":true},"doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9297979/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-9297979/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":106094936,"identity":"14600543-5059-4446-bfc1-409e834ed794","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-04-03 11:43:41","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":1222440,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"AntimicrobialpotentialofmedicinalplantsextractsVPSK.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-9297979/v1_covered_074a6f90-7ff1-4c93-b4e7-f22244643eee.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"The authors declare no competing interests.","formattedTitle":"\u003cp\u003eAntimicrobial Potential of Medicinal Plants extracts\u003c/p\u003e","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":true,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"medicinal plants; antimicrobial activity; phenolic compounds; MIC; bioassay-guided fractionation","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9297979/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-9297979/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBackground: \u003c/strong\u003eThe surge of antimicrobial resistance makes it necessary to look for new sources of drugs; medicinal plants still form a supplier of bioactive secondary metabolites for the future. Objectives: The goal of the study was to test the ethnic selected medicinal plants for in vitro activity against a specific group of human pathogens, assess the strength (MIC/MBC), analyse the phytochemistry, examine mechanisms of action and interactions, conduct preliminary toxicity testing on mammalian cells to prioritize the leads for further development.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMethods:\u003c/strong\u003e The polarity series (hexane, ethyl acetate, 70% ethanol, aqueous; hydrodistillation for essential oils) was used to extract eight taxa, which were then subjected to agar diffusion and CLSI-guided broth microdilution (resazurin confirmation) screening. Phytochemical characterization included qualitative tests, total phenolic/flavonoid quantification (TPC/TFC), TLC, HPLC–DAD, and GC–MS. Mechanistic assays included membrane integrity, antibiofilm and quorum-sensing inhibition, time–kill kinetics, and checkerboard synergy with ciprofloxacin. Cytotoxicity (HepG2) determined CC₅₀ and selectivity indices (SI = CC₅₀/MIC).\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eResults:\u003c/strong\u003e Aromatic, phenolic-molecule-rich extracts—Thymus vulgaris and Origanum vulgare—proved to be the strongest and most reliable antimicrobial agents (zones over 25 mm; MIC₅₀≈31.25 µg/mL; geometric mean MICs≈45–50 µg/mL), they were active in a way that disrupted membranes (leakage of ~68–72% at 1× MIC), Diminution of antibacterial biofilm activity was substantial (~73–78% at 100 µg/mL), rapid bactericidal kinetics (≥3 log₁₀ reduction at 24 h) and synergistic interactions with ciprofloxacin (FICI ≈ 0.42–0.45). Terminalia chebula was the next to be tested with moderate potency (MIC₅₀≈62.5 µg/mL). Very strong positive relationship was noticed between TPC and the antimicrobial power (r≈+0.74 vs zone; r≈−0.71 vs MIC, p\u0026lt;0.01). In safety profiling, the winning ones were Thymus and Origanum (HepG2 CC₅₀≈1,400–1,500 µg/mL; SI≈28–33).\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eConclusion:\u003c/strong\u003e Ethnobotanical selection along with standardized assays pointed out Thymus and Origanum as high-priority leads for bioassay-guided isolation and preclinical evaluation; further fractionation, pharmacokinetics and in vivo toxicity/efficacy studies are suggested.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Antimicrobial Potential of Medicinal Plants extracts","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2026-04-03 02:18:16","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9297979/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"1d2c6988-42c0-44ae-bf42-662036a0da60","owner":[],"postedDate":"April 3rd, 2026","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[{"id":65581592,"name":"Biochemical Research Methods"}],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2026-04-03T02:18:16+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2026-04-03 02:18:16","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-9297979","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-9297979","identity":"rs-9297979","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"XKTyCvWXoU3ODBz1xrDgd","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}