article · Frontiers in Microbiology
The medicinal plant Phragmanthera austroarabica is traditionally used to treat diabetes mellitus. Formulations combining silver nanoparticles with either the plant methanolic extract or gallic acid, its major metabolite, were assessed alongside the raw extract and pure gallic acid. The tested treatments reduced body fat and obesity, normalised high blood sugar, countered insulin resistance and hyperinsulinemia, improved lipid profiles, and supported liver tissue structure and function. Nanoparticle formulations achieved superior outcomes across most metabolic parameters compared to the unformulated substances. When tested against fungal, Gram-positive, and Gram-negative pathogens, the crude extract demonstrated weak to moderate effects, whereas the silver nanoparticle formulations showed pronounced antimicrobial activity. These nanoparticles were particularly effective against the bacterial pathogens Proteus vulgaris, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Streptococcus mutans.
Diabetes mellitus is an expanding global epidemic that places heavy burdens on healthcare systems, especially in developing regions. In parallel, managing bacterial infections remains a persistent medical challenge. Exploring traditional medicinal plants through green nanotechnology demonstrates how plant extracts can be enhanced to simultaneously target metabolic dysfunctions and bacterial pathogens, offering biological insights for future therapeutic strategies.
This work points to early-stage opportunities for pharmaceutical and healthcare product developers interested in plant-derived antidiabetic treatments and antimicrobial agents. The findings could eventually inform the design of functional therapeutics or topical treatments targeting bacterial pathogens. However, the research is at an early experimental stage, meaning extensive preclinical safety assessments, toxicity profiling, and in vivo efficacy validations are needed before any real-world commercialisation pathway emerges.
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Introduction Diabetes mellitus is a chronic metabolic disorder that exhibited great expansion all over the world. It is becoming an epidemic disease adding a major burden to the health care system, particularly in developing countries. Methods The plant under investigation in the current study Phragmanthera austroarabica A. G. Mill and J. A. Nyberg is traditionally used in Saudi Arabia for the treatment of diabetes mellitus. The methanolic extract (200 mg/kg) of the plant and pure gallic acid (40 mg/kg), a major metabolite of the plant, as well as their silver nanoparticle formulae (AgNPs) were evaluated for their antidiabetic activity. Results and Discussion The results showed a decrease in body fat, obesity, an improvement in lipid profiles, normalization of hyperglycemia, insulin resistance, and hyperinsulinemia, and an improvement in liver tissue structure and function. However, the results obtained from AgNPs for both extract and the pure gallic acid were better in most measured parameters. Additionally, the activity of both the crude extract of the plant and its AgNPs were evaluated against a number of gram-positive, gram-negative bacteria and fungi. Although the activity of the crude extract ranged from moderate to weak or even non-active, the AgNPs of the plant extract clearly enhanced the antimicrobial activity. AgNPs of the extract demonstrated remarkable activity, especially against the Gram-negative pathogens Proteus vulgaris (MIC 2.5 μg/ml) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (MIC 5 μg/ml). Furthermore, a promising antimicrobial activity was shown against the Gram-positive pathogen Streptococcus mutants (MIC 1.25 μg/ml).
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DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.1078061
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