Find in Library

Microbial infections affect both the human population and animals. The appearance of more and more microbial strains resistant to classical treatments led to the need to develop new treatments. <i>Allium</i> plants are known for their antimicrobial properties due to their high content of thiosulfinates, especially allicin, polyphenols or flavonoids. The hydroalcoholic extracts of six <i>Allium</i> species obtained by cold percolation were analyzed regarding their phytochemical compounds and antimicrobial activity. Among the six extracts, <i>Allium sativum</i> L. and <i>Allium ursinum</i> L. have similar contents of thiosulfinates (approx. 300 μg allicin equivalents/g), and the contents of polyphenols and flavonoids were different between the tested species. The HPLC-DAD method was used to detail the phytochemical composition of species rich in thiosulfinates. <i>A. sativum</i> is richer in allicin (280 μg/g) than <i>A. ursinum</i> (130 μg/g). The antimicrobial activity of <i>A. sativum</i> and <i>A. ursinum</i> extracts against <i>Escherichia coli</i>, <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i>, <i>Candida albicans</i> and <i>Candida parapsilosis</i> can be correlated with the presence of large amounts of thiosulfinates. Both extracts have shown results against <i>Candida</i> species (inhibition zones of 20–35 mm) and against Gram-positive bacteria, <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> (inhibition zones of 15–25 mm). These results demonstrate the antimicrobial effect of the extracts and suggest their use as an adjuvant treatment for microbial infections.