Antimicrobial Activity of Extracts and Isoquinoline Alkaloids of Selected Papaveraceae Plants

Alkaloidal extracts of seven selected plants of the family Papaveraceae were studied with respect to their activity against six strains of pathogenic bacteria and their alkaloidal fingerprint. Twenty-four alkaloids were determined by GC/MS, and twenty of them identified from their mass spectra, retention times and retention indexes. In the antibacterial assay, three Gram-positive (Enterorococcus faecalis, Staphylococcus aureus and S. hyicus), and three Gram-negative (Escherichia coli, Proteus mirabilis and Pseudomonas aeruginosa) strains were used. The most promising antimicrobial activity was shown by the alkaloidal extract of Macleaya cordata with MIC values of 16 mu g/mL for Staphylococcus aureus, 32 mu g/mL for Enterococcus faecalis and 64 mu g/mL for Staphylococcus hyicus and Escherichia coli. All the tested pure isoquinoline alkaloids were considered inactive within the tested concentrations.