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.

Catechin gallates inhibit multidrug resistance (MDR) in Staphylococcus aureus.

Gibbons S, Moser E, Kaatz GW

Centre for Pharmacognosy and Phytotherapy, The School of Pharmacy, University of London, London, UK. simon.gibbons@ulsop.ac.uk

Epicatechin gallate (1) and epigallocatechin gallate (2) were evaluated for their antibacterial and efflux inhibitory activity against a wild-type and three multidrug-resistant (MDR) strains of Staphylococcus aureus. Compound 2 was more active than 1 based on minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs; 32-64 versus 64->512 microg/mL, respectively). When incorporated into the growth medium at 20 microg/mL, both compounds exhibited a four-fold potentiation of the activity of norfloxacin against a norfloxacin-resistant strain of S. aureus overexpressing the NorA multidrug efflux pump. Against this strain 1 was moderately more potent than 2 as an inhibitor of ethidium efflux, but at < or = 20 microM both compounds paradoxically stimulated efflux. This phenomenon has not been encountered previously in the analysis of inhibitors of multidrug efflux.

Published 11 January 2005 in Planta Med, 70(12): 1240-2.
Full-text of this article is available online (may require subscription).

© 2004-2008 Staphylococcus Research Today. All Rights Reserved.