Plant-derived glycoalkaloids protect mice against lethal infection withSalmonella typhimurium

The reduced efficiency of antibiotics, caused as a consequence of acquired drug resistance, necessitates the development of new approaches to deal effectively with infectious diseases. Intervention strategies which enhance innate defence mechanisms offer one such possibility. This report demonstrates that mice prophylactically treated with low doses of an extract derived from Solanum species containing both solanine and chaconine were rendered resistant to challenge with lethal doses of Salmonella typhimurium. Single or multiple treatment(s) with low doses of purified glycoalkaloids also provided mice with significant protection against infection. Treated animals were found to rapidly clear bacteria from various target organs. An enhancement of innate defences by glycoalkaloid administration offers an alternative to antigen-specific vaccines and prophylactic antibiotic treatment.