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Chinese Journal of Antituberculosis ›› 2026, Vol. 48 ›› Issue (6): 787-794.doi: 10.19982/j.issn.1000-6621.20260021

• Original Articles • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Screening of anti-tuberculosis activity and analysis of chemical constituents of the Ethnomedicine Botrychium ternatum

Li Jing1, Chen Shuangshuang2,3, Chen Chunhua1, Yang Guoxiang1, Yang Chengnao1, Zheng Luyun1, Tan Chengjian1, Li Chuanyou2,3, Li Jie2,3, Zhou Peifu1(), Dai Xiaowei2,3()   

  1. 1 Key Laboratory of the Development and Utilization of Guizhou Minority Medical Resource, National Ethnic Affairs Commission, School of Chinese Ethnic Medicine, Guizhou Minzu University, Guiyang 550025, China
    2 Tuberculosis Laboratory, Beijing Center for Disease prevention and control, Beijing 100035, China
    3 China School of Public Health, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100069, China
  • Received:2026-01-12 Online:2026-06-10 Published:2026-05-25
  • Contact: Zhou Peifu,Dai Xiaowei E-mail:zhoupeifu@sina.com;happydaixw@126.com
  • Supported by:
    National Natural Science Foundation of China(82260404);General Program of Natural Science, Basic Research Program of Guizhou Province (Qian Ke He Jichu-MS 〔2025〕221)

Abstract:

Objective: To screen ethnomedicines with anti-tuberculosis activity, evaluate their efficacy and chemical composition, and provide new insights for tuberculosis treatment. Methods: Fifteen ethnomedicines were selected through literature review, and their total extracts were prepared. Initial screening for activity against Mycobacterium smegmatis (M.sm) was performed using the solid agar disk diffusion method. The medicine with the best activity was further extracted to obtain organic solvent fractions (petroleum ether, dichloromethane, n-butanol). The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of these fractions against M.sm and Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) were determined by the resazurin microtiter broth dilution assay. The activity against the standard strain H37Rv and clinical isolates (including drug-resistant and drug-sensitive strains) of Mycobacterium tuberculosis was evaluated via the microbroth dilution method. The chemical constituents of the total extract and petroleum ether fraction from Botrychium ternatum were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS) to preliminarily explore the potential anti-tuberculosis components. Results: Among the 15 ethnomedicines screened, 10 exhibited inhibitory activity against M.sm, with Botrychium ternatum showing the strongest activity (inhibition zone diameter: 18.33±4.04 mm). Resazurin assay results indicated significant inhibitory effects for the total extract and the petroleum ether fraction of Botrychium ternatum against M.sm and BCG, with MICs of 1875 μg/ml against M.sm for both, and MIC of 2 μg/ml, and 1 μg/ml against BCG for total extract and the petroleum ether fraction, respectively. Microbroth dilution testing against 11 clinical isolates of Mycobacterium tuberculosis showed that the MICs for the total extract and the petroleum ether fraction mainly ranged from 14 to 58 μg/ml, with the lowest MIC for the petroleum ether fraction reaching 14 μg/ml. HPLC-MS analysis identified 44 compounds in the total extract and 33 compounds in the petroleum ether fraction of Botrychium ternatum. Conclusion: Botrychium ternatum demonstrated the best activity against M.sm among the 15 ethnomedicines. Further evaluation confirmed its significant anti-tuberculosis activity, particularly for its petroleum ether fraction. This study not only verified the feasibility of screening anti-tuberculosis agents from ethnomedicines, but also provided important candidate substances and scientific basis for developing new anti-tuberculosis drugs through compositional analysis.

Key words: Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Drug screening assays, Minimum inhibitory concentration, Ethnomedicines, Compositional analysis, Botrychium ternatum

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