Abstract
Antimicrobial resistant strains of infection are afflicting clinical settings, driving the search for novel antimicrobial compounds. Naturally sourced bioactives, for instance those from seaweeds, have the potential to ameliorate this issue. As such, solvent extracts from the edible Irish seaweeds Fucus serratus and Fucus vesiculosus were screened for antimicrobial activity against 28 clinically isolated strains of MRSA, including one GISA (glycopeptide intermediate S. aureus) and two mecC gene containing strains. The water extract of F. vesiculosus was the most promising extract went on to be tested for biofilm prevention and disruption activity. The disk diffusion method was used to investigate the inhibition of the bacterial pathogens tested while MIC, MBC and biofilm disruption and prevention analyses were performed spectroscopically and by plate counts, respectively. Solvent extracts were found to have a wide array of antimicrobial activity against the strains tested, with the water extract from Fucus vesiculosus being the most promising. This extract was also found to both prevent and disrupt MRSA biofilms indicating the potential extract as new antimicrobials, and raising the possibility of their possible use in therapeutics.
Highlights
Seaweeds, benthic marine macro algae which can typically be found at various levels of beach and sea depth, have come under scrutiny for the bioactive compounds which they are known to possess
The label of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) as a β-lactum antibiotic resistant strain has stuck since its emergence, regardless of the fact that oxacillin and/or cefoxitin are used as susceptibility markers for penicillin based antibiotics[14]
Fucoidan, which can be extracted from Fucus vesiculosus, has been shown to have antimicrobial effects against oral bacteria including S. aureus[21] and has been proven to have a synergistic effect against MRSA when administered with the antibiotics oxacillin or ampicillin, increasing the efficacy of treatments by more than four times[25]
Summary
Benthic marine macro algae which can typically be found at various levels of beach and sea depth, have come under scrutiny for the bioactive compounds which they are known to possess. They have been used for millennia by people to aid numerous dietary and medicinal needs[1] Due to their autotrophic nature[2], seaweeds have evolved to produce an assortment of bioactive compounds; from the simple resources found in the marine environment to compounds used for the purpose of self-preservation in harsh competitive environments[3]. A 2016 review commissioned by the British Prime Minister David Cameron projected that by 2050 AMR will result in 10 million deaths per annum[12] Findings such as this have encouraged scientists to look for potentially novel antimicrobial activity from natural products. Many of the bioactive natural products generated by organisms involve complex and poorly understood mechanisms of action These compounds may be novel and as such have a greater chance of a novel activity against the more dangerous strains of infection. MRSA strains with resistance to a variety of antibiotics with a range of modes of action (such as the clinical strains tested as part of this paper) have become widespread
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