Abstract
Objectives: The antimicrobial resistance of food poisoning strains is considered a public health burden contributing to high mortality and morbidity rates globally. Furthermore, the severe side effects of chemotherapy represent a serious issue which necessitates finding safe sources for anticancer agents for adjuvant therapy to decrease harmful impact of chemotherapeutic drugs. Hence, the current study is conducted to evaluate the antibacterial efficiency of Elettaria cardamomum against multidrug resistant strains causing food poisoning outbreaks. Methods: The resistance profile of the tested food poisoning bacterial pathogens was evaluated using disk diffusion assay. Moreover, the antibacterial efficiency of E. cardamomum solvent extracts was achieved using disk diffusion assay to determine the efficiency of these extracts against multidrug resistant strains. Cytotoxicity assay was achieved to assess the antiproliferative efficiency of Elettaria cardamomum solvent extracts against MCF7 breast cancer cell line. Results: Methicillin resistant-Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strain exhibited resistance to all tested antibiotics except norfloxacin while E. coli strain showed susceptibility to all antibiotics used in the study. Furthermore, P. aeruginosa showed resistance to cefotaxime, trimethoprim + sulfamethoxazole, cefixime, ceftriaxone and cefaclor antibiotics while it was sensitive to norfloxacin antibiotic. In addition, S. aureus strain expressed resistance to cefatziodime, cefixime and ceftriaxone antibiotics. The ethanolic extract of Elettaria cardamomum showed the highest antibacterial activity against the concerned food poisoning bacterial strains recording zone diameters ranged from 11.91 +/- 0.17 mm to 26.81 +/- 0.24 mm. The ethanolic extract of Elettaria cardamomum showed MIC values of 0.25 and 0.50 mg/disc against S. aureus and E. coli strains recording inhibition zone diameters of 16.83 +/- 0.14 and 12.34 +/- 0.18 mm respectively. GC-MS analysis revealed that alpha-terpinyl acetate, 1,8-cineole and b pinene were the main phytochemical components of the Elettaria cardamomum ethanolic extract recording percentages of 41.24%, 28.14% and 5.98% respectively. In conclusion, the potent efficiency of E. cardamomum ethanolic extract against the tested food poisoning strains supports utilizing these extracts in bioformulation of safe and effective food preservatives avoiding side effects of chemical preservatives and controlling the problem of antibiotic resistance. (C) 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of King Saud University.