| Title: | "Diallylthiosulfinate (Allicin), a Volatile Antimicrobial from Garlic (Allium sativum), Kills Human Lung Pathogenic Bacteria, Including MDR Strains, as a Vapor" |
| Author(s): | Reiter J; Levina N; van der Linden M; Gruhlke M; Martin C; Slusarenko AJ; |
| Address: | "Department of Plant Physiology, RWTH Aachen University, 52056 Aachen, Germany. jana.reiter@rwth-aachen.de. German National Reference Centre of Streptococci (GNRCS), University Hospital RWTH Aachen, 52074 Aachen, Germany. nlevina@ukaachen.de. German National Reference Centre of Streptococci (GNRCS), University Hospital RWTH Aachen, 52074 Aachen, Germany. mlinden@ukaachen.de. Department of Plant Physiology, RWTH Aachen University, 52056 Aachen, Germany. martin.gruhlke@rwth-aachen.de. Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Medical Faculty of RWTH Aachen University, 52074 Aachen, Germany. chmartin@ukaachen.de. Department of Plant Physiology, RWTH Aachen University, 52056 Aachen, Germany. alan.slusarenko@bio3.rwth-aachen.de" |
| DOI: | 10.3390/molecules22101711 |
| ISSN/ISBN: | 1420-3049 (Electronic) 1420-3049 (Linking) |
| Abstract: | "Garlic (Allium sativum) has potent antimicrobial activity due to allicin (diallylthiosulfinate) synthesized by enzyme catalysis in damaged garlic tissues. Allicin gives crushed garlic its characteristic odor and its volatility makes it potentially useful for combating lung infections. Allicin was synthesized (>98% pure) by oxidation of diallyl disulfide by H(2)O(2) using formic acid as a catalyst and the growth inhibitory effect of allicin vapor and allicin in solution to clinical isolates of lung pathogenic bacteria from the genera Pseudomonas, Streptococcus, and Staphylococcus, including multi-drug resistant (MDR) strains, was demonstrated. Minimal inhibitory (MIC) and minimal bactericidal concentrations (MBC) were determined and compared to clinical antibiotics using standard European Committee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (EUCAST) procedures. The cytotoxicity of allicin to human lung and colon epithelial and murine fibroblast cells was tested in vitro and shown to be ameliorated by glutathione (GSH). Similarly, the sensitivity of rat precision-cut lung slices (PCLS) to allicin was decreased by raising the [GSH] to the approximate blood plasma level of 1 mM. Because allicin inhibited bacterial growth as a vapor, it could be used to combat bacterial lung infections via direct inhalation. Since there are no volatile antibiotics available to treat pulmonary infections, allicin, particularly at sublethal doses in combination with oral antibiotics, could make a valuable addition to currently available treatments" |
| Keywords: | "Animals Anti-Infective Agents/chemistry/*pharmacology Bacteria/*drug effects Cell Line Disulfides Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial/*drug effects Garlic/*chemistry Humans Lung/microbiology Microbial Sensitivity Tests Pseudomonas aeruginosa/drug effects;" |
| Notes: | "MedlineReiter, Jana Levina, Natalja van der Linden, Mark Gruhlke, Martin Martin, Christian Slusarenko, Alan J eng Switzerland 2017/10/13 Molecules. 2017 Oct 12; 22(10):1711. doi: 10.3390/molecules22101711" |
