Chemical Characterization and Antibiofilm Activities of Bulbs and Leaves of Two Aglione (<i>Allium ampeloprasum</i> var. <i>holmense</i> Asch. et Graebn.) Landraces Grown in Southern Italy

• Main Authors: Lucia Caputo, Giuseppe Amato, Florinda Fratianni, Raffaele Coppola, Vincenzo Candido, Vincenzo De Feo, Filomena Nazzaro
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2020-11-01
• Series: Molecules
• Subjects: <i>Allium ampeloprasum</i> var. <i>holmense</i>; aglione; polyphenols; antioxidant activity; biofilm
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/25/23/5486

The present study was carried out to determine some biochemical characteristics, in particular the total polyphenol content and the free radical scavenging activity, of the extracts recovered from bulbs and aerial parts (these last often considered as by-products) of two landraces of <i>A. ampeloprasum</i> var. <i>holmense</i> cultivated in Southern Italy. For the first time, the capacity of the extracts of these landraces to inhibit the formation of biofilm of different Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria and to affect the metabolism of the cells present within the bacterial biofilm was evaluated. All extracts exhibited an amount of total polyphenols not lower than 2.86 mg/g of dried product and revealed a noteworthy antioxidant activity, with EC₅₀ values not exceeding 4.95 mg. In both cases, the aerial parts extracts were more effective than the bulb extracts, which also showed a minor amount of total polyphenols. The extracts inhibited mainly the adhesive capability of <i>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</i> and <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i>, by 95.78% and 85.01%, respectively. The extracts demonstrated to inhibit also the metabolism of the bacterial cells reaching levels up to 90%. Finally, as assessed by the assays performed on the 24-h preformed biofilms, all the extracts were also capable to cause a reduction in bacterial biomass and to affect their metabolism.