Synergistic effects of the combination of galangin with gentamicin against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.
The antimicrobial killing activity toward methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has been a serious emerging global issue. New effective antimicrobials and/or new approaches to settle this issue are urgently needed. The oriental herb, Alpinia officinarum, has been used in Korea for several hundreds of years to treat various infectious diseases. As it is well known, one of the active constituents of Alpinia officinarum is galangin. Against the 17 strains, the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of galangin (GAL) were in the range of 62.5 ~ 125 microg/ml, and the MICs of gentamicin (GEN) ranged from 1.9 microg/ml to 2,000 microg/ml. The fractional inhibitory concentrations (FICs) of GAL, in combination with GEN, against 3 test strains were 0.4, 3.9, and 250 microg/ml, and were all 15.62 microg/ml in GEN. The FIC index showed marked synergism in the value range of 0.19 to 0.25. By determining time-kill curves, also confirmed the low synergism of the GAL and GEN combination against 4 h, 8 h, 12 h, and 24 h cultured MRSA. The time-kill study results indicated a low synergistic effect against 3 test strains. Thus, the mixture of GAL and GEN could lead to the development of new combination antibiotics against MRSA infection.
Lee
Young-Seob
YS
Department of Oriental Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Wonkwang Oriental Medicines Research Institute, Jeonbuk, Republic of Korea.
Kang
Ok-Hwa
OH
Choi
Jang-Gi
JG
Oh
You-Chang
YC
Chae
Hee-Sung
HS
Kim
Jong Hak
JH
Park
Hyun
H
Sohn
Dong Hwan
DH
Wang
Zheng-Tao
ZT
Kwon
Dong-Yeul
DY
D032429:Alpinia / Q000378:metabolism; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D004357:Drug Synergism; D005419:Flavonoids / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005839:Gentamicins / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans; D016106:Methicillin Resistance; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D005419:Flavonoids; D005839:Gentamicins; D010936:Plant Extracts; C037032:galangin