Panax Ginseng Extracts As a Novel Antibiotic

Typical antibiotics seek to kill all bacteria, but when they fail a resistant strain of bacteria is formed and more powerful, harmful forms of antibiotics need to be used. A novel method of treatment is attempting to block the communication that takes place through chemical signaling between bacteria in order to prevent a bacterial infection from establishing. This practice is called anti-quorum sensing. Panax ginseng is a well-established inhibitor of quorum sensing. However, previous studies were unable to decipher the active chemical compound in these extracts that was responsible for the anti-quorum sensing property. One of the compounds that were identified in ginseng extracts was L-arginine (~80 mM). Further analysis with this particular amino acid showed a significant inhibition of quorum sensing phenotypes as detected through LasA protease and LasBelastase assay using Pseudomonas aeruginosa as biomonitorstrains. The objective of this study is to confirm our initial findings through estimation of the quorum sensing signaling molecules which are Acyl Homoserine Lactone (AHL) levels. The quantification of the AHL will be done using mass-spectrometry with the compounds detected in solvents acetic acid and sodium hydroxidefrom P. aeruginosa PAO1 strains. AHL standards will also be added as controls. The ability to identify P. ginsengs anti-quorum sensing compounds will allow us to procure a novel antibiotic, and could help establish a similar protocol for other plants in hopes of finding more with these attributes.