Abstract
Synergistic interactions between commonly used antibiotics and natural bioactive compounds may exhibit therapeutic benefits in a clinical setting. Berberine, an isoquinoline-type alkaloid isolated from many kinds of medicinal plants, has proven efficacy against a broad spectrum of microorganisms. The aim of the presented work was to assess the antibacterial activity of berberine chloride in light of the effect exerted by common antibiotics on fourteen reference strains of Staphylococccus spp., and to evaluate the magnitude of interactions of berberine with these antistaphylococcal antibiotics. In our study minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of berberine chloride against CoNS ranged from 16 to 512 µg/mL. The most noticeable effects were observed for S. haemolyticus ATCC 29970, S. epidermidis ATCC 12228, S. capitis subsp. capitis ATCC 35661, S. galinarium ATCC 700401, S. hominis subsp. hominis ATCC 27844, S. intermedius ATCC 29663 and S. lugdunensis ATCC 49576. The most significant synergistic effect was noticed for berberine in combination with linezolid, cefoxitin and erythromycin. The synergy between berberine and antibiotics demonstrates the potential application of compound combinations as an efficient, novel therapeutic tool for antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections.
Highlights
The widespread abuse of antibiotics for the treatment of bacterial infections has led to the emergence and spread of drug resistant strains
We explored in vitro antimicrobial activity of berberine in combination with 10 different antibiotics against 14 reference strains of Staphylococccus spp. using minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and time-kill assays
The lowest minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) values were observed for S. warneri ATCC 49454 strain (512 μg/mL), S. saprophyticus ATCC 15303 (512 μg/mL)
Summary
The widespread abuse of antibiotics for the treatment of bacterial infections has led to the emergence and spread of drug resistant strains. The rise in the rate of infections from multi-drug resistant (MDR) bacteria is recognized worldwide as a major health crisis. Medicines Agency (EMA) in collaboration with Action on Antibiotic Resistance (ReAct) estimated that at least 25,000 patients die each year in the EU from infections due to multidrug resistant bacteria [1]. Antibiotic resistant staphylococci strains are the major public health concern since the bacteria can circulate in the environment without difficulty. Coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) colonize different parts of the human skin and mucous membranes. Every species of CoNS that has been characterized as a resident in humans
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