title: Antimicrobial activity of oleanolic acid from Salvia officinalis and related compounds on vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE).
abstract: An extract from Salvia officinalis (Sage) leaves showed antimicrobial activity against vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE). We isolated the effective compound and identified it as oleanolic acid, a triterpenoid. We also tested antimicrobial activity of similar triterpenoids, ursolic acid, uvaol, betulinic acid and betulin. We found that ursolic acid also showed antimicrobial activity against VRE. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of oleanolic acid and ursolic acid were 8 and 4 microg/ml, respectively. These two compounds also showed antimicrobial activity against Streptococcus pneumoniae and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). These compounds showed bactericidal activity against VRE at least for 48 h when added at concentrations that were two-times higher than their MICs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Microbiology, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University, Tsushima, Japan.
authors.forename: Kumiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Horiuchi
authors.forename: Sumiko
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shiota
authors.forename: Tsutomu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hatano
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yoshida
authors.forename: Teruo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kuroda
authors.forename: Tomofusa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tsuchiya
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013293:Enterococcus faecalis / Q000187:drug effects*; D016984:Enterococcus faecium / Q000187:drug effects*; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D015394:Molecular Structure; D009828:Oleanolic Acid / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D027543:Salvia officinalis / Q000737:chemistry*; D014640:Vancomycin / Q000494:pharmacology; D020713:Vancomycin Resistance
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D014640:Vancomycin; D009828:Oleanolic Acid