| Institution: | a Department of Molecular Microbiology, Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology, Melarannur Road, Thycaud PO, Thiruvananthapuram 695 014, Indiab Organic Chemistry Section, National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology (CSIR), Thiruvananthapuram 695 019, Indiac Department of Bacteriology, Swedish Institute for Infectious Disease Control, SE-171 82, Solna, Sweden |
| Abstract: | Many plants are used in Ayurveda for the treatment of tuberculosis. Our aim was to examine if these plants possess any specific molecule that inhibits Mycobacterium tuberculosis. One of them, Kaempferia galanga, yielded an anti-TB molecule, ethyl p-methoxycinnamate (EPMC). By resazurin microtitre assay (REMA), EPMC was shown to inhibit M. tuberculosis H37Ra, H37Rv, drug susceptible and multidrug resistant (MDR) clinical isolates (MIC 0.242-0.485 mM). No cross resistance was observed to any standard anti-TB drugs in the MDR strains. The compound did not inhibit any prototype bacteria tested. EPMC seems to be a potential anti-TB lead molecule. |
