Abstract
The use of natural products for medicinal purposes can be traced back more than 3000 years in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). TCM herbalists generally use a combination of compounds (herbs) to treat the patient and restore balance. One agent used by herbalists is an organic root extract from Arnebia euchroma (Zi Cao). It is traditionally used as a healing agent for wounds, burns, abrasions, and other dermatitis related problems. Extracts from Arnebia euchroma and related Boraginaceae plant species contain a variety of therapeutic activities, which include an antimicrobial activity that is active against a variety of bacterial and fungal species. To characterize the antimicrobial activity (ies) present in root extracts from Arnebia euchroma, we used Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis as a model system. When the Arnebia roots are crushed and extracted with an organic solvent, a concentrated red extract, rubricine, is obtained. Rubricine contains the naphthoquinine compound shikonin and five structurally related compounds. Each compound differs from shikonin by a single R-group moiety. Using our model system, we showed that rubricine has both bacteriostatic and bactericidal activities, each of the compounds present in rubricine is active, rubricine is effective against multiple-drug resistant (MDR) clinical isolates, and shikonin acts synergistically with each of the other compounds to enhance their antibacterial activity. One explanation for the multiplicity of related compounds in rubricine is that plants naturally use TCM type strategies that capitalize upon mixtures of active agents to address complex microbial challenges. These findings suggest that searches for new compounds effective against emerging MDR organisms might include assays for combinatorial activities that build about historical TCM knowledge.
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Benson, S.A., Higgins, B.P., Chae, C.S., Lin, Y. (2001). Antibacterial Synergy in Rubricine: An Extract from the Roots of Arnebia Euchroma a Chinese Medicinal Herb. In: Lin, Y. (eds) Drug Discovery and Traditional Chinese Medicine. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-1455-8_12
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-1455-8_12
Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA
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