Abstract
Abstract Natural products have been touted as important tools because of their vast potential for the development of compounds with antimicrobial activity and the possible inhibitory activity and/or adjuvant resistance mechanisms. Propolis has been empirically used for many years for the treatment of diseases, mainly due to its antioxidant, anti inflammatory and antimicrobial activities. This study aimed to evaluate the in vitro antimycobacterial activity of the ethanol extract of propolis alone and in combination with rifampicin (RIF), amikacin (AMI) and ciprofloxacin (CIP). The ethanol extract of propolis showed antibacterial activity against Mycobacterium chelonae and M. kansasii and was capable of increasing AMI, RIF and CIP activity in combination. On the other hand, compared to M. absecessus, M. fortuitum and M. avium, the extract was not active at 200 µg/mL and did not show pronounced adjuvant capacity when evaluated in association with the drugs. Based on these results, it can be concluded that the ethanol extract of propolis could be an alternative in the development of new drugs and can be used complementary with the current mycobacteriosis treatment.
Highlights
The genus Mycobacterium consists of a wide variety of organisms, including obligate, opportunistic pathogens and saprophytic species (Falkinham 2016)
Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) is generally resistant to conventional tuberculostatic drugs, which may compromise the therapeutic response since the mechanisms of drug susceptibility in NTM are distinct from M. tuberculosis, and variations in the susceptibility of some antimycobacterial agents may occur with the species (Wu et al 2018)
The antimycobacterial activity of green propolis against NTM (M. kansasii, M. avium, M fortuitum, M. abscessus, M. chelonae) was different according to the species of mycobacteria evaluated (Tab. 1)
Summary
The genus Mycobacterium consists of a wide variety of organisms, including obligate, opportunistic pathogens and saprophytic species (Falkinham 2016). NTM is generally resistant to conventional tuberculostatic drugs, which may compromise the therapeutic response since the mechanisms of drug susceptibility in NTM are distinct from M. tuberculosis, and variations in the susceptibility of some antimycobacterial agents may occur with the species (Wu et al 2018). The discovery of antimycobacterial drugs and preclinical testing efforts have been almost uniquely centered on M. tuberculosis, with virtually no concentrated effort toward extended-spectrum agents that cover NTM, yet represents a therapeutic challenge, as current and innovative treatment options for NTM are limited or unavailable (Kasperbauer & De Groote 2015; Wu et al 2018)
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