Research Projects

The study aims to investigate the specific phytochemical components responsible for lipid amino-acylation in S. aureus, a bacterium that uses membrane lipids as a mechanism of drug resistance. The leaf extract of Nyctanthes arbortristis, an Indian herbal healer, induces a dose-dependent and time-dependent increase in amino-PL content in the plasma membrane of S. aureus, leading to resistance against cationic antimicrobials like collistin and daptomycin. The objective is to purify the active principle(s) in Nyctanthes arbortristis responsible for phospholipid amino-acylation in S. aureus, characterize and identify these components, and investigate their effect on membrane-mediated drug resistance in S. aureus. The purified active principle(s) will be characterized using GCMS/LCMS, flow cytometry, Surface Plasmon Spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy, FTIR, X-ray diffraction, and NMR. The identified phytochemicals will be investigated for their effect on bacterial membrane lipid modification, type of lipids modified, mechanism of lipid amino-acylation, membrane organization, charge, and resistance to membrane lysis. The project aims to identify the active principle(s) of Nyctanthes arbortristis contributing to S. aureus drug resistance, leading to the investigation of the mechanism of phytochemical-mediated drug resistance in S. aureus that could be applicable to other bacterial strains. The project's deliverables include the specific phytochemical(s) of Nyctanthes arbortristis responsible for membrane lipid modification and drug resistance in S. aureus, their purification method, and a model system to study phytochemical-mediated bacterial drug resistance.