Pectin: A Long-Neglected Broad-Spectrum Antibacterial |
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| Authors: | Dr. Rosaria Ciriminna Dr. Alexandra Fidalgo Dr. Francesco Meneguzzo Dr. Alessandro Presentato Dr. Antonino Scurria Dr. Domenico Nuzzo Prof. Rosa Alduina Prof. Laura M. Ilharco Dr. Mario Pagliaro |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Istituto per lo Studio dei Materiali Nanostrutturati, CNR, via U. La Malfa 153, 90146 Palermo, Italy;2. Centro de Química-Física Molecular and IN-Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Rovisco Pais 1, Lisboa, 1049-001 Portugal;3. Istituto per la Bioeconomia, via Madonna del Piano 10, Sesto Fiorentino, 50019 Italy;4. Department of Biological, Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies, University of Palermo, 90028 Palermo, Italy;5. Istituto per la Ricerca e l'Innovazione Biomedica, CNR, via U. La Malfa 153, 90146 Palermo, Italy |
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| Abstract: | First reported in the late 1930s and partly explained in 1970, the antibacterial activity of pectin remained almost ignored until the late 1990s. The concomitant emergence of research on natural antibacterials and new usages of pectin polysaccharides, including those in medicine widely researched in Russia, has led to a renaissance of research into the physiological properties of this uniquely versatile polysaccharide ubiquitous in plants and fruits. By collecting scattered information, this study provides an updated overview of the subtle factors affecting the behaviour of pectin as an antimicrobial. Less-degraded pectin extracted by acid-free routes, we argue in the conclusions, will soon find applications from new treatments for polymicrobial infections to use as an implantable biomaterial in tissue and bone engineering. |
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| Keywords: | antibacterial agents, antimicrobial agents citrus pectin pectin polysaccharides |
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