Butterflies Extracts Show Antibacterial Activity  

作　　者：Reuven Rasooly Miriam Rothschild Yael Gov Paul Wolferstan Robert Nash Paula Do Naomi Balaban 

机构地区：[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

出　　处：《Advances in Microbiology》2017年第6期467-479,共13页微生物学（英文）

摘　　要：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.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.

关 键 词：PYRROLIZIDINE ALKALOIDS BRITISH Butterflies STAPHYLOCOCCUS AUREUS Antimicrobial 

分 类 号：R28[医药卫生—中药学]