Antimicrobial Efficacy of Tiliroside Derived from Cordia macleodii against Klebsiella pneumoniae

Abstract

Antibiotic resistance is a global healthcare threat that has limited the effective life span of commercial medications.  Medicinal plants are the reservoir of bioactive compounds that have antibacterial and antibiofilm activities and are potent source of new antimicrobial agents Therefore, the screening of plant derived phytochemicals has been increased significantly to access the hidden treasure to combat microbial infections. In the current study, preliminary analysis of methanolic extract of Cordia macleodii leaf revealed the existence of various flavonoids including tiliroside. In vitro antimicrobial assay of methanolic extract and bioactive compound (Tiliroside) showed antibacterial and antibiofilm activity against MDR pathogen. The MIC value of methanolic leaf extract and tiliroside was found to be 5 percent and 50mM respectively. Methanolic extract of Cordia macleodii leaf as well as tiliroside at sub-MIC value significantly mitigated the biofilm formation. In silico molecular docking analysis of tiliroside against the targeted protein was also determined to predict the possible binding site. Transcriptomic analysis determined the significance of tiliroside in the reduced expression of certain genes (bssS and metE), which are involved in biofilm formation in Klebsiella pneumoniae. Overall, the methanolic extract of C. macleodii leaf with varying degree of antimicrobial potency might be used as potent alternative to conventional antibiotics to combat MDR mediated infections.