In vitro assessment of antibiotic-resistance reversal of a methanol extract from Rosa canina L.

The crude methanol extract of Rosa canina (RC) fruit was tested against multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacterial strains, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus SA1199B, EMRSA16 and XU212 harbouring NorA, PBP2a and TetK resistance mechanisms, respectively, as well as S. aureus ATCC25923, a standard antimicrobial susceptible laboratory strain. The inhibition of the conjugal transfer of plasmid PKM101 and TP114 by the RC extract was also evaluated. The RC extract demonstrated a mild to poor antibacterial activity against the panel of bacteria having MIC values ranging from 256 to >512 μg/mL but strongly potentiated tetracycline activity (64-fold) against XU212, a tetracycline-effluxing and resistant strain. Furthermore, the extract showed moderate capacity to inhibit the conjugal transfer of TP114 and PKM101; transfer frequencies were between 40% and 45%. Cytotoxicity analysis of the RC extract against HepG2 cells line showed the IC50 > 500 mg/L and, thus, was considered non-toxic towards human cells. Phytochemical characterisation of the extracts was performed by the assessment of total phenolic content (RC: 60.86 mg TAE/g) and HPLC fingerprints with five main peaks at 360 nm. The results from this study provide new mechanistic evidence justifying, at least in part, the traditional use of this extract. However, the inhibition of bacterial plasmid conjugation opens the possibility of combination therapies to overcome antibiotic resistance

Antibacterial and norfloxacin potentiation activities of Ocimum americanum L. against methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus

Staphylococcus species are among the most common resistant bacteria associated with the major cause of human ailments. The crude methanol extract from Ocimum americanum (OA) leaf was tested alone or in combination with norfloxacin (NOR) against strains of Staphylococcus aureus using the broth microdilution assay. The cytotoxicity of the OA extract was also evaluated using the MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) reagent assay on a HepG2 hepatocarcinomal cell line. While the plant extract exhibited a mild to poor antibacterial activity against our panel of bacteria, the antibiotic activity of norfloxacin at one-quarter MIC was enhanced by 2–4 fold in the presence of one-half MIC of OA extract against SA-1199B that over expresses the NorA efflux pump and MRSA-274829. These positive interactions were confirmed using a time-killing test; the combination therapy remarkably reduced the bacterial count of SA1199B and MRSA274829 ranging from a 6.0–4.2-log10-CFU/mL, after 24 h incubation. The OA extract strongly depleted DPPH* (IC50: 146.5 μg/mL), LOI (152 μg/mL), PGI (47.6 μg/mL) and FRAP (122.75 μmolFe(II)/g) possibly due to its richness in phenolic compounds. Furthermore, the OA extract showed a non-toxic effect on the HepG2 cells having an IC50 value of 378.0 μg/mL. These findings therefore support the folkloric use of Ocimum americanum at least in part for the treatment of infectious and free radical stress-related diseases