Abstract

Carbapenem resistance observed in Klebsiella pneumoniae strains limits treatment options. Therefore, use of antibiotics combined with bioactive compounds may be an important strategy to control K. pneumoniae. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the activity of combination of carvacrol and meropenem on carbapenem-resistant K. pneumoniae (CRKP) strains. The presence of blaOXA-48 carbapenemase in all 25 CRKP strains was identified using the PCR technique. The combination of carvacrol and meropenem was tested for antimicrobial activity on CRKP strains. The minimum inhibitory concentrations of carvacrol and meropenem were detected within a range of 32-128µg/mL using the broth microdilution method. Synergy between carvacrol and meropenem was observed on 8 of the 25 CRKP strains by checkerboard assay (FICI = 0.5) and confirmed by time-kill assay. According to the live-dead test results, the viability percentage of the cells exposed to synergistic combination was 35.47% at the end of 24h. The membrane damage caused by the synergistic combination was spectrophotometrically measured (A = 0.21) and further confirmed by SEM analysis. According to the MTT assay, both carvacrol and meropenem did not show any statistically significant cytotoxic effect on Vero cells (p > 0.05). In conclusion, the results suggest that carvacrol and meropenem can act synergistically to inhibit the growth of CRKP.

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call

Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.