title: Potent antibacterial activity of halogenated compounds against antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
abstract: Common Gram-positive clinical pathogens are showing an increasing trend for resistance to conventional antimicrobial agents. New drugs with potent antibacterial activities are urgently needed to remediate this problem. Halogenated compounds isolated from several species of the red algae genus Laurencia were examined for their antibacterial activity against 22 strains of human pathogenic bacteria, 7 strains of which were antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Four phenolic sesquiterpenes and a polybrominated indole showed wide spectra of antibacterial activity against Gram-positive bacteria including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), penicillin-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae, and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecalis and E. faecium (VRE). In addition, laurinterol and allolaurinterol displayed potent bactericidal activity against three strains of MRSA at 3.13 microg mL(-1), and three strains of vancomycin-susceptible Enterococcus, at 3.13 microg mL(-1) and 6.25 microg mL(-1), respectively.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Marine Natural Product Chemistry, Borneo Marine Research Institute, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia. csv@ums.edu.my
authors.forename: Charles Santhanaraju
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Vairappan
authors.forename: Tomotake
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kawamoto
authors.forename: Hideaki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Miwa
authors.forename: Minoru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Suzuki
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D024881:Drug Resistance, Bacterial; D006094:Gram-Positive Bacteria / Q000187:drug effects*; D006801:Humans; D044722:Laurencia; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D008517:Phytotherapy; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D010936:Plant Extracts