Abstract
Infections caused by Acinetobacter baumannii and other pathogenic bacteria are a worldwide concern due to their increasingly prevalent multidrug resistance. World leaders and health organizations across the globe have voiced their concerns over antibiotic resistance and the critical need for the development of novel antibiotics. Although the number of new antibiotic drugs entering the marketplace in recent years has been limited, it is encouraging to note that there are many initiatives in academia, industry, and government focused on this issue. This study outlines the investigation of a publicly available library of Traditional Chinese Medicine extracts to discover new compounds that could potentially inhibit the growth of a multidrug-resistant A. baumannii strain. Within this library of over 600 natural product samples, two individual extracts were found which exhibited over 50% mean growth inhibition of this bacterial strain at an extract concentration of 10 µg/mL. Fractionation of these two extracts into more isolated compounds also resulted in inhibitory activity. The results of this study highlight the value of this natural products library as a resource for further investigation in discovering anti-infective agents, especially during this global crisis of antibiotic resistance. Key words: Traditional Chinese Medicine, Acinetobacter baumannii, growth inhibition, antibiotic resistance.
Highlights
There were two crude extract samples that demonstrated mean growth inhibition of AB5075 greater than 50% in M9 medium broth at the 10 μg/ml concentration
The first extract was sourced from the dried root tuber of the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) plant Polygonum multiflorum (NSC 500111) and the second from the flowers of the TCM herb Rosa rugosa (NSC 500081)
Doughari et al (2011) have described that most A. baumannii strains are resistant to aminoglycosides, tetracyclines, cephalosporins, ampicillins, cefotaximes, chloramphenico ls, gentamicins and tobramycins, where resistance operates through a plethora of mechanisms
Summary
In 2014, President Barack Obama signed an executive order which effectively issued the National Action Plan. This plan called upon the U.S. government, in partnership with foreign governments, individuals, and organizations, to reduce the threat posed by multidrug-resistant (MDR) microorganisms to public health. One essential goal of this action plan was to accelerate research and development of new antibiotics, vaccines, and other therapeutics. Hospitals throughout the U.S have responded to these pathogen-based threats by forming antimicrobial stewardship committees in order to promote more careful prescribing of antibiotics amongst their clinicians as a measure to prevent antibiotic drug resistance
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