Antibacterial activity of essential oils of plants growing in Colombia and its effect on the activity of β-lactam antibiotics

Abstract

Introduction: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus is a serious public health problem and the most common cause of hospital infection worldwide.

Objective: Assess the antibacterial activity against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus of essential oils from plants growing in Colombia and its potentiating effects on the activity of β-lactam antibiotics.

Methods: The antibacterial activity of twenty-seven essential oils obtained by microwave-assisted hydrodistilation was assessed, for which the micro-dilution method was used, both in Staphylococcus aureus strains resistant to methicillin and in Staphylococcus aureus sensitive to methicillin. To this end, their minimum inhibitory concentration values were determined. The enhancing effect of essential oils on the activity of β-lactam antibiotics was evaluated using co-treatment procedures in the methicillin-resistant strain of Staphylococcus aureus.

Results: Based on the values of minimum inhibitory concentration in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, the essential oils of Psidium sartorianum and Turnera diffusa showed antibacterial effect, and at non-inhibitory concentrations, significantly reduced the values of minimum inhibitory concentration of antibiotics in the Staphylococcus aureus strain resistant to methicillin.

Conclusions: The results indicate that the essential oils of P. sartorianum and T. diffusa have antibacterial properties and may enhance the activity of β-lactam antibiotics in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. The species P. sartorianum and T. diffusa are sources of agents that modify bacterial resistance to antibiotics.