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Artemisia arborescens (Vaill.) L. is a perennial shrubby plant growing along the coastal strips of the Mediterranean region. It is used in traditional medicine. Its essential oil and solvent extracts exhibit a very interesting chemotherapeutic potential, which makes this plant useful in maintaining human health. The goal of this study was to determine the phytochemical composition of the petroleum ether and methanol extracts, as well as to evaluate anticancer activities and antimicrobial and biofilm formation reduction. Thirty-nine phytochemical compounds in negative ion mode and 25 in positive ion mode were identified by HPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS. All four extracts reduced the viability of human MDA-MB231 and HCT116 cancer cells suggesting a similar cytotoxic efficacy of the different extracts in MDA-MB231 and more pronounced antiproliferative effects on HCT116 cells treated with HPEE and CPEE. Antimicrobial activity was exhibited by the hot petroleum ether extract against all tested bacteria (MIC 0.15–2.5 mg/mL), except for S. agalactiae. Both methanol extracts showed activity against C. albicans with a MIC value of 2.5 mg/mL, and a lack of antibacterial activity. To whom concern the anti-biofilm activity, hot methanol extract shows the highest activity in inhibiting biofilm formation among all extract. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Helianthemum lippii is a perennial shrubby plant growing in the sandy environments of Italy, Mediterranean countries of North Africa and Middle East. H. lippii is used in traditional medicine but there are very few reports referring to the phytochemical characterization, the ethnopharmacology, and the biological activity of H. lippii. The goal of this study was to determine the phytochemical composition of different H. lippii extracts, cold (CME) and hot (HME) methanol, cold (CPEE) and hot (HPEE) petroleum ether, as well as to evaluate their anticancer and antimicrobial activities and biofilm formation reduction. Fifty-fours phytocompounds have been determined by HPLC-UV-ESI-QTOF-MS analysis. All the four extracts reduced the viability of human MDA-MB231 and HCT116 cells, being cold and hot methanol extracts the most effective. The antimicrobial activity against S. aureus, P. aeruginosa, E. faecalis, E. coli, C. albicans was also evaluated. Data showed the greater susceptibility of S. aureus to hot methanolic extract. Concerning antifungal activity, C. albicans resulted more susceptible to petroleum ether. Moreover, some of the samples exhibited a good antibiofilm activity both on immature and on mature biofilms. The four extracts showed interesting antimicrobial and cytotoxic activities and can be considered good candidates for new therapeutic applications [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The recognition that chronic infections and infections associated with medical devices are biofilm related has been the impulse for investigating the antibiofilm properties of some diazopyrazoles biologically active as antimicrobials. Methods: The susceptibility of staphylococcal biofilms was determined at concentrations ranging from 25 to 1.5 μg/ml using crystal violet and methylthiazotetrazolium (MTT) staining. In the case of Candida albicans, we first assessed the anti-germ tube formation effect of 4-NO2 (compound 1c) and then we evaluated its antibiofilm activity at concentrations ranging from 100 to 6.2 μg/ml. Results: All the compounds were active against reference staphylococcal biofilm strains at the maximum tested concentration of 25 μg/ml; despite its remarkable activity as germ tube inhibitor, compound 1c showed weak activity against C. albicans biofilms at 100 μg/ml. Conclusion: 4-Diazopyrazoles represent an interesting source of antimicrobial compounds in the development of new antibiofilm agents. Copyright © 2008 S. Karger AG, Basel [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]