Anti-Bacterial Properties Of Ethanolic Moringa Oleifera Leaf Extract And Proteomic Analysis Of Its Effects On Escherichia Coli

Every year 15 million babies are born prematurely worldwide and a million of these infants die. We know that bacterial infections are associated with and are the primary cause of preterm labor. Unfortunately, current antibiotic-based therapies are either unsafe or are becoming less effective due to the development of bacterial resistance to these therapies. Some of the key microbes associated with preterm labor include Gardnerella vagina/is, Lactobacillus spp., Atopobium vaginae, Mycoplasma hominis, Ureaplasma urealyticum and Escherichia coli (E. coli). Here, we investigated the effectiveness of different whole leaf Moringa oleifera (M oleifera) extracts on E. coli, comparing the most potent leaf extract to common antibiotics. We sought to determine the genome-wide protein expression patterns taking place in the bacterium when incubated with whole leaf M oleifera extract by using quantitative proteomics. From these studies, we demonstrate 1) ethanolic whole leaf M oleifera extract causes greatest inhibition of E.coli and is comparable to inhibition observed by common antibiotics, 2) different phases of bacterial growth are prolonged or inhibited by extract treatment, and 3) quantitative proteomics revealed vast changes in proteins associated with distinct biological processes such as stress response, metabolism and energy maintenance.