AMERICAN INDIAN MEDICINAL PLANTS AS ANTIBIOTICS

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This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. Primary support for the subproject and the subproject's principal investigator may have been provided by other sources, including other NIH sources. The Total Cost listed for the subproject likely represents the estimated amount of Center infrastructure utilized by the subproject, not direct funding provided by the NCRR grant to the subproject or subproject staff. Antibiotic resistance, particularly methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), has developed into a major health issue. Certain strains of Staphylococcus aureus have become resistant not only to methicillin, but to other beta-lactam antibiotics, e.g. dicloxacillin, nafcillin and amoxicillin. Reports from the Center for Disease Control indicate that in 2005 nearly 100,000 cases of MRSA were reported in the United States with 18,650 deaths; more deaths than occurred from immune deficiency diseases. Research aimed at identifying new molecules with antibiotic properties is critical to addressing this ever growing health care need. A collaborative research project at BHSU was initiated during the summer of 2008 between American Indian Studies, Biology and Chemistry that identified three American Indian medicinal plants with antibiotic activity. This project provided proof of concept that antibiotic activity could be found in medicinal plants that were used by the American Indians to treat other diseases. It has also shown antibiotic activity on staphylococcus aureus and two additional microbes. Two of these extracts are currently being investigated by Mr. Jay Jacobs, a senior Biology major at BHSU. The first phase of my research would be to purify the third plant extract, identify which fraction(s) contain the antibiotic activity and conduct structure determination use NMR, IR and mass spectroscopy. The second phase of my research would involve collecting a second set of plants, extracting them, and evaluating the extracts for antibiotic activity. Dr. Dixson mentored an undergraduate fellow from DWU during the summer of 2010.