Abstract
Multidrug-resistant ESKAPE pathogens (Enterococcus faecium, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Enterobacter species) has become the most recurrent global cause of skin and soft-tissue infections, belonging to the WHO priority pathogens list. Successful therapy remains challenging and entails the assessment of novel and successful antibiotics. In this study, mushrooms are considered a valuable and unique source of natural antimicrobial compounds. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the antimicrobial and antibiofilm properties of Boletus edulis (B. edulis) and Neoboletus luridiformis (N. luridiformis) aqueous and methanolic extracts against ESKAPE isolates from clinical wound infections. Disk diffusion and microdilution methods were used to assess the antimicrobial activity. Phytochemical characterization was achieved by analysis of total phenols, orthodiphenols content, and antioxidant activity as well as by high-performance liquid chromatography-diode array detector (HPLC-DAD). Human foreskin fibroblasts-1 (HFF-1) cell viability was performed by the MTT assay. Aqueous and methanolic extracts of B. edulis and N. luridiformis showed antimicrobial and antibiofilm properties against multidrug-resistant bacteria, although with different efficacy rates. The results showed that there is a convincing relation between the content of phenolic compounds, antioxidant activity, and antimicrobial activity suggesting that the presence of phenolic compounds may explain the biological effects. HPLC analysis revealed high levels of protocatechuic acid, homogentisic acid, pyrogallol, gallic acid, p-catechin, and dihydroxybenzoic acid in the aqueous extract of B. edulis, explaining the highest antimicrobial and antibiofilm properties. Importantly, the mushrooms extracts were non-cytotoxic at all the tested concentrations. Overall, the tested mushrooms extracts are good candidates to further explore its use in the prevention of wound infection, particularly by multidrug-resistant pathogens.