Antimicrobial activities of some Verbascum L. species against clinical isolates of Klebsiella pneumoniae causing lower respiratory tract infections

Abstract

Increasing antibiotic resistance in Klebsiella pneumoniae has necessitated the development of novel antimicrobial therapies. In recent years, many studies have been conducted on using plants as antimicrobial agents, and many natural compounds have been found to be effective sources of antibacterial agents. In the present study, the antimicrobial activity of K. pneumoniae strains isolated from patients with lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs) was investigated against some Verbascum L. species. Five K. pneumoniae strains, isolated from bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) samples of patients with LRTIs, were identified by VITEK MS MALDI-TOF (BioMerieux, France). Then, the antimicrobial activity of 85% ethanol and 2% aqueous extracts of nine Verbascum species (V. ancyritanum Bornm., V. cheiranthifolium Boiss., V. georgicum Benth., V. kastamunicum Murb., V. lasianthum Boiss. ex Benth., V. mucronatum Lam., V. sinuatum L. subsp. sinuatum var. adenosepalum Murb., V. speciosum Schrad., V. uschakense Hub.-Mor.), three of which are endemic to Turkish flora, was investigated by using the microdilution method. Both 85% ethanol and 2% aqueous extracts of Verbascum species showed MIC values between 128 - 256 ƒÊg/mL and MBC in the range of 256 - 1024 ƒÊg/mL. The endemic species, V. ancyritanum presented the most effective antimicrobial activity. In the present study, the antimicrobial activity of endemic species, V. ancyritanum, V. kastamunicum, and V. uschakense, was investigated for the first time. All extracts were found to have moderate antimicrobial activity against the studied bacteria.

Keywords

• Lower respiratory tract infections
• Verbascum L.
• Klebsiella pneumoniae
• antimicrobial activity

References

1. [1] Singh S, Sharma A, Nag VL. Bacterial pathogens from lower respiratory tract infections: A study from Western Rajasthan. J Family Med Prim Care. 2020;9(3):1407-1412. https://doi.org/10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_994_19 .
2. [2] Ullah B, Ahmed S, Shahariar M, Yesmine S. Current trend of antibiotic resistance in lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs): an experience in a teaching hospital in Bangladesh. Bangladesh J Pharmacol. 2016;19(1):85-91. https://doi.org/10.3329/bpj.v19i1.29243.
3. [3] Santella B, Serretiello E, De Filippis A, Veronica F, Iervolino D, Dell'Annunziata F, Manente R, Valitutti F, Santoro E, Pagliano P, Galdiero M, Boccia G, Franci G. Lower respiratory tract pathogens and their antimicrobial susceptibility pattern: A 5-year study. Antibiotics (Basel). 2021;10(7):851. https://www.mdpi.com/2079-6382/10/7/851.
4. [4] Chai S, Wang C, Liu Y, Xia J, Wang X, Shi J. Distribution patterns of pathogens causing lower respiratory tract infection based on metagenomic next-generation sequencing. Infect Drug Resist. 2023;10(16):6635-6645. https://doi.org/10.2147/IDR.S421383 .
5. [5] Kilbas EPK, Kilbas I, Ciftci IH. Bacterial etiology of lower respiratory tract infections in Turkey: A systematic review. J Kermanshah Univ Med Sci. 2021;25(2):e113798. https://doi.org/10.5812/jkums.113798.
6. [6] Regha I, Sulekha B. Bacteriological profile and antibiotic susceptibility patterns of lower respiratory tract infections in a tertiary care hospital, Central Kerala. Int J Med Microbiol Trop Dis. 2018;4(4):186-190. https://doi.org/10.18231/2581-4761.2018.0040 .
7. [7] Ahmed SM, Jakribettu RP, Meletath SK, B A, Vpa S. Lower respiratory tract infections (LTRIs): An insight into the prevalence and the antibiogram of the Gram negative, respiratory, bacterial agents. J Clin Diagn Res. 2013;7(2):253-256. https://doi.org/10.7860/jcdr/2013/5308.2740 .
8. [8] Al Bshabshe A, Al-Hakami A, Alshehri B, Al-Shahrani KA, Alshehri AA, Al Shahrani MB, Assiry I, Joseph MR, Alkahtani A, Hamid ME. Rising Klebsiella pneumoniae infections and its expanding drug resistance in the intensive care unit of a tertiary healthcare hospital, Saudi Arabia. Cureus. 2020;12(8):e10060. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.10060 .

9. [9] Shao C, Wang W, Liu S, Zhang Z, Jiang M, Zhang F. Molecular epidemiology and drug resistant mechanism of carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae in elderly patients with lower respiratory tract infection. Front Public Health. 2021;9:669173. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2021.669173 .
10. [10] Zar HJ, MacGinty R, Workman L, Burd T, Smith G, Myer L, Häggström J, Nicol MP. Klebsiella pneumoniae lower respiratory tract infection in a South African birth cohort: A longitudinal study. Int J Infect Control. 2022;121:31-38. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijid.2022.04.043.
11. [11] Effah CY, Sun T, Liu S, Wu Y. Klebsiella pneumoniae: An increasing threat to public health. Ann Clin Microbiol Antimicrob 2020;19(1):1. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12941-019-0343-8 .
12. [12] Uzoamaka M, Ngozi O, Johnbull OS, Martin O. Bacterial etiology of lower respiratory tract infections and their antimicrobial susceptibility. Am J Med Sci. 2017;354(5):471-475. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amjms.2017.06.025.
13. [13] Vijay S, Dalela G. Prevalence of LRTI in patients presenting with productive cough and their antibiotic resistance pattern. J Clin Diagn Res. 2016;10(1):Dc09-12. https://doi.org/10.7860/jcdr/2016/17855.7082.
14. [14] Ibrahim ME. Risk factors in acquiring multidrug-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae infections in a hospital setting in Saudi Arabia. Sci Rep. 2023;13(1):11626. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-38871-7 .
15. [15] WHO (World Health Organization), Bacterial priority pathogens list, 2024: Bacterial pathogens of public health importance to guide research, development and strategies to prevent and control antimicrobial resistance. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240093461 (Accessed 29.09.2024)
16. [16] Duman H, Uzunhisarcıklı E, Ozbek F. A new natural hybrid of Verbascum L. (Scrophulariacae) from Turkey. Gazi Univ J Sci. 2021;34(4):937-946. https://doi.org/10.35378/gujs.787401 .
17. [17] Huber-Morath, A. Verbascum L. In: Davis, PH (Eds). Flora of Turkey and the East Aegean Islands. Edinburgh Univ. Press, Edinburgh:, 1978 Vol. 6.pp. 461−603.
18. [18] Tatli I, Akdemir Z. Traditional uses and biological activities of Verbascum species. FABAD J Pharm Sci. 2006;31:85-96.
19. [19] Gupta A, Atkinson AN, Pandey AK, Bishayee A. Health-promoting and disease-mitigating potential of Verbascum thapsus L. (common mullein): A review. Phytother Res. 2022;36(4):1507-1522. https://doi.org/10.1002/ptr.7393 .
20. [20] Kahraman C, Ekizoglu M, Kart D, Akdemir Z, Tatli II. Antimicrobial activity of some Verbascum species growing in Turkey. FABAD J Pharm Sci. 2011;36(1):11-16. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.exppara.2011.06.005.
21. [21] Blanco-Salas J, Hortigón-Vinagre MP, Morales-Jadán D, Ruiz-Téllez T. Searching for scientific explanations for the uses of spanish folk medicine: A review on the case of Mullein (Verbascum, Scrophulariaceae). Biology. 2021;10(7):618. https://www.mdpi.com/2079-7737/10/7/618 .
22. [22] Hazman Ö, Aksoy L, Büyükben A, Kara R, Kargioğlu M, Kumral ZB, Erol I. Evaluation of antioxidant, cytotoxic, antibacterial effects and mineral levels of Verbascum lasianthum Boiss. ex Bentham. An Acad Bras Cienc. 2021;93:e20210865. https://doi.org/10.1590/0001-3765202120210865.
23. [23] Grigorov M, Pavlović D, Mladenović AS, Tasić KM, Ilić D. In vitro antimicrobial activity of different Verbascum niveum extracts. Acta Fac Med Naiss. 2023;40(2):193-198. https://doi.org/10.5937/afmnai40-40582 .
24. [24] Karagöz A, Acar S, Körkoca H. Characterization of Klebsiella isolates by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) and determination of antimicrobial resistance with VITEK 2 advanced expert system (AES). Turk J Med Sci. 2015;45(6):1335-1344. https://doi.org/10.3906/sag-1401-32
25. [25] Gözalan A, Aydoğan S, Haciseyi̇toğlu D, Kuzucu C, Köksal F, Açıkgöz Z, Durmaz R. The identification of Acinetobacter baumannii blood isolates by MALDI-TOF MS, ARDRA and BlaOXA-51-like gene-specific real-time PCR Acinetobacter baumannii kan İzolatlarının MALDI-TOF MS, ARDRA ve blaOXA-51-benzeri gene Özgül gerçek zamanlı polimeraz zincir reaksiyonu ile tanımlanması. Mikrobiyol Bul. 2021;54(4). https://doi.org/10.5578/mb.70085.
26. [26] CLSI (Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute), Methods for dilution antimicrobial susceptibility tests for bacteria that grow aerobically, M07, 11th ed. 2018
27. [27] Aydın B. Antibacterial activities of methanolic extracts of different seaweeds from Iskenderun Bay, Turkey. Int J Second Metab. 2021;8(2):120-126. https://doi.org/10.21448/ijsm.894564
28. [28] Duan N, Du J, Huang C, Li H. Microbial distribution and antibiotic susceptibility of lower respiratory tract infections patients from pediatric ward, adult respiratory ward, and respiratory intensive care unit. Front Microbiol. 2020;11:1480. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2020.01480 .
29. [29] Guclu AU, Kocak AA, Ok MA, Tutluoglu B, Basustaoglu AC, Group RS. Antibacterial resistance in lower respiratory tract bacterial pathogens: A multicenter analysis from Turkey. J Infect Dev Ctries. 2021;15(02):254-262. https://doi.org/10.3855/jidc.12599 .
30. [30] Şengül M, Öğütcü H, Adigüzel A, Şahin F, Kara AA, Karaman I, Güllüce M. Antimicrobial effects of Verbascum georgicum Bentham extract. Turk J Biol. 2005;29(2):105-110.
31. [31] Hacıoğlu Doğru N, Demir N, Yılmaz Ö. Three species of Verbascum L. from Northwest Anatolia of Turkey as a source of biological activities. Turk J Chem. 2021;3(1):19-26. https://doi.org/10.51435/turkjac.886692
32. [32] Senatore F, Rigano D, Formisano C, Grassia A, Basile A, Sorbo S. Phytogrowth-inhibitory and antibacterial activity of Verbascum sinuatum. Fitoterapia. 2007;78(3):244-247. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fitote.2006.11.010
33. [33] Sener A, Dulger B. Antimicrobial activity of the leaves of Verbascum sinuatum L. on microorganisms isolated from urinary tract infection. Afr J Microbiol Res. 2009;3(11):778-781.
34. [34] Birgül B, Selamoğlu HŞ, Vural C. In vitro evaluation of antimicrobial and antioxidant activity and GC/MS profiling of the endemic species Verbascum cheiranthifolium var. asperulum. Artvin Çoruh Üniversitesi Orman Fakültesi Dergisi. 2024;25(1):6-14. https://doi.org/10.17474/artvinofd.1354102 .