Bioactivity of extracts from Alpinia zerumbet (Pers.) B.L. Burtt & R.M. Sm. against sinusitis causing bacterial pathogens / Bioatividade de extratos de Alpinia zerumbet (Pers.) B.L. Burtt & R.M. Sm. contra patógenos bacterianos causadores de sinusite

Alpinia zerumbet (Pers.) B.L. Burtt & R.M. Sm. is indicated in Brazilian traditional medicine to treat rheumatism, headache and sinusitis. To evaluate the effect of extracts and fractions of flowers from Alpinia zerumbet (Pers.) B.L. Burtt & R.M. Sm. in order to provide a scientific rationale for the use of the plant for the treatment of sinusitis, this study was realized. The extracts and fractions were prepared and analyzed by phytochemical investigation. Antibacterial activity against 12 bacterial pathogens associated with sinusitis was evaluated by employing an agar dilution method. The hexane fraction showed the broader activity spectrum inhibiting 10 out of the 12 tested bacteria specially Porphyromonas gingivalis, Fusobacterium nucleatum, and Fusobacterium necrophorum. The lower MIC value was observed for the ethyl acetate fraction against Streptococcus pneumoniae (32 µgµL-1). All extracts and fractions tested expressed activity against Prevotella intermedia. On the other hand, none of them exhibited antibacterial effect against Streptococcus agalactiae. The solution used in Brazilian traditional medicine showed inhibitory activity against microorganisms isolated from acute and chronic sinusitis patients. This study demonstrates the promising antibacterial activity of Alpinia zerumbet (Pers.) B.L. Burtt & R.M. Sm. against bacteria responsible for acute and chronic sinusitis and validates its use for the first time.(AU)

Alpinia zerumbet (Pers.) B.L. Burtt & R.M. Sm.tem sido indicada na medicina popular brasileira para tratar reumatismo, dor de cabeça e sinusite. Para avaliar o efeito de extratos e frações de flores de Alpinia zerumbet (Pers.) B.L. Burtt & R.M. Sm., a fim de validar cientificamente o uso da planta para o tratamento de sinusite, foi proposto este estudo. Os extratos e frações foram preparados e analisados por ensaios fitoquímicos. A atividade antibacteriana contra 12 patógenos bacterianos associados com a sinusite foi avaliada empregando o método de diluição em ágar. A fração hexânica apresentou o mais amplo espectro de atividade, inibindo 10 das 12 bactérias testadas, especialmente Porphyromonas gingivalis, Fusobacterium nucleatum e Fusobacterium necrophorum. O menor valor de MIC foi observado para a fração em acetato de etila contra Streptococcus pneumoniae (32 µgµL-1). Todos os extratos e frações testadas apresentaram atividade contra Prevotella intermedia. Por outro lado, nenhum extrato ou fração exibiu efeito antibacteriano contra Streptococcus agalactiae. A solução usada na medicina popular brasileira mostrou atividade inibitória contra os micro-organismos isolados a partir de pacientes com sinusite crônica e aguda. Este estudo demonstra promissora atividade antibacteriana de Alpinia zerumbet (Pers.) B.L. Burtt & R.M. Sm. contra bactérias responsáveis pela sinusite aguda e crônica e valida o seu uso pela primeira vez.(AU)

[Diversity and tissue distribution of fungal endophytes in Alpinia officinarum: an important south-China medicinal plant].

In the present study, terminal-restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) technique was applied to assess the diversity and tissue distribution of the fungal endophyte communities of Alpinia officinarum collected from Longtang town in Xuwen county, Guangdong province, China, at which the pharmacological effect of the medicine plant is traditional considered to be the significantly higher than that in any other growth areas in China. A total of 28 distinct Terminal-Restriction Fragment (T-RFs) were detected with HhaI Mono-digestion targeted amplified fungal nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer region sequences (rDNA ITS) from the root, rhizome, stem, and leaf internal tissues of A. officinarum plant, indicating that at least 28 distinct fungal species were able to colonize the internal tissue of the host plant. The rDNA ITS-T-RFLP profiles obtained from different tissues of the host plant were obvious distinct. And the numbers of total T-RFs, and the dominant T-RFs detected from various tissues were significantly different. Based on the obtained T-RFLP profiles, Shannon's diversity index and the Shannon's evenness index were calculated, which were significantly different among tissues (P < 0.05). Furthermore, two types of active chemicals, total volatile oils by water vapor distillation method and galangin by methanol extraction-HPLC method, were examined in the each tissue of the tested plant. Both of tested components were detected in all of the four tissues of the medicine plant with varying contents. And the highest was in rhizome tissue. Correlation analysis revealed there were significant negative correlations between both of the tested active components contents and calculated Shannon's diversity index, as well as the Shannon's evenness index of the fungal endophyte communities of the host plant (P = 0, Pearson correlation coefficient ≤ -0.962), and significant positive correlations between both of the tested active components contents and 325 bp dominant T-RF linkage to Pestalotiopsis (P = 0, Pearson correlation coefficient ≥ 0.975). In conclusion, A. officinarum is colonized by diverse fungal endophytes communities. The diversity of the fungal endophytes was found in the A. officinarum varied with differences of the tissue types of the host plants and was closely correlated with the accumulation of main active components, total volatile oils and galangin contents in the host plant tissue.

Fungal endophytes of Alpinia officinarum rhizomes: insights on diversity and variation across growth years, growth sites, and the inner active chemical concentration.

In the present study, the terminal-restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) technique, combined with the use of a clone library, was applied to assess the baseline diversity of fungal endophyte communities associated with rhizomes of Alpinia officinarum Hance, a medicinal plant with a long history of use. A total of 46 distinct T-RFLP fragment peaks were detected using HhaI or MspI mono-digestion-targeted, amplified fungal rDNA ITS sequences from A. officinarum rhizomes. Cloning and sequencing of representative sequences resulted in the detection of members of 10 fungal genera: Pestalotiopsis, Sebacina, Penicillium, Marasmius, Fusarium, Exserohilum, Mycoleptodiscus, Colletotrichum, Meyerozyma, and Scopulariopsis. The T-RFLP profiles revealed an influence of growth year of the host plant on fungal endophyte communities in rhizomes of this plant species; whereas, the geographic location where A. officinarum was grown contributed to only limited variation in the fungal endophyte communities of the host tissue. Furthermore, non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) analysis across all of the rhizome samples showed that the fungal endophyte community assemblages in the rhizome samples could be grouped according to the presence of two types of active indicator chemicals: total volatile oils and galangin. Our present results, for the first time, address a diverse fungal endophyte community is able to internally colonize the rhizome tissue of A. officinarum. The diversity of the fungal endophytes found in the A. officinarum rhizome appeared to be closely correlated with the accumulation of active chemicals in the host plant tissue. The present study also provides the first systematic overview of the fungal endophyte communities in plant rhizome tissue using a culture-independent method.

Alkaloids from an endophytic streptomyces sp. YIM66017.

Three alkaloids, flavensomycinoic acid (1), a linear polyketide, alpiniamide (2), and cyclo (L-Trp-L-Ala) (3), were isolated from the culture filtrate of endophytic Streptomyces sp. YIM66017 from Alpinia oxyphylla. Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic analysis and the structure of 1 was confirmed by X-ray crystallographic analysis. Compound 1 was isolated from a natural source for the first time, and compound 2 is a new compound. Compound 1 showed cytotoxicity to MCF-7 with an IC50 value of 17.0 microM.