Staphylococcus Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Staphylococcus, including details on mrsa, hospitals, infection, antibiotic resistance, superbugs.

Identification and biological evaluation of grapefruit oil components as potential novel efflux pump modulators in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacterial strains.

Abulrob AN, Suller MT, Gumbleton M, Simons C, Russell AD

Welsh School of Pharmacy, Cardiff University, Redwood Building, King Edward VII Avenue, Cardiff CF10 3XF, UK.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and MSSA strains were treated with: (a) grapefruit oil (GFO) components, isolated by chromatography and characterised by NMR and mass spectroscopy; (b) antimicrobial agents, or (c) a combination of both to evaluate (MIC determination) intrinsic antibacterial activity and to determine whether GFO components could modulate bacterial sensitivity to the anti-bacterial agents. Preliminary data suggested that the grapefruit component 4-[[(E)-5-(3,3-dimethyl-2-oxiranyl)-3-methyl-2-pentenyl]oxy]-7H-furo[3,2-g]chromen-7-one (2) enhances the susceptibility of test MRSA strains to agents, e.g., ethidium bromide and norfloxacin, to which these micro-organisms are normally resistant.

Published 26 October 2004 in Phytochemistry, 65(22): 3021-7.
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