Termite usage associated with antibiotic therapy: enhancement of aminoglycoside antibiotic activity by natural products of Nasutitermes corniger (Motschulsky 1855).
BACKGROUND
Several species from Insecta are used as remedies. Among these species, the termite Nasutitermes corniger is commonly used in traditional medicine in Northeast Brazil. The present work tests the modifying antibiotic activity of Nasutitermes corniger, a termite used in folk medicine in Northeastern region of Brazil.


METHODS
Chlorpromazine and decocts of N. corniger were collected from two different plant species used in the traditional medicine were tested for their antimicrobial activity against strains of Escherichia coli resistant to aminoglycosides. The growth of two bacterial strains of E. coli was tested using decocts and chlorpromazine alone or associeted with aminogycosides.


RESULTS
The MIC and MBC values were > or =1024 microg/ml for both strains of E. coli assayed. A significant synergism was observed between both decocts and chlorpromazine when assyed with neomycin. This synergism with neomycin indicates the involvement of an efflux system in the resistance to this aminoglycoside.


CONCLUSIONS
Therefore it is suggested that natural products from N. corniger could be used as a source of zoo-derived natural products with modifying antibiotic activity to aminoglycosides, being a new weapon against the bacterial resistance to antibiotics.
Coutinho
Henrique D M
HD
Universidade Regional do Cariri, Laboratório de Microbiologia e Biologia Molecular, Crato (CE), 63105-000, Brazil. hdmcoutinho@gmail.com
Vasconcellos
Alexandre
A
Lima
Micheline A
MA
Almeida-Filho
Geraldo G
GG
Alves
Rômulo R N
RR
D000617:Aminoglycosides / Q000494:pharmacology; D031021:Anacardium; D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001688:Biological Products / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001938:Brazil; D002746:Chlorpromazine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D029744:Commiphora; D024901:Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial / Q000187:drug effects*; D004357:Drug Synergism; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000187:drug effects*; D020049:Isoptera; D008519:Medicine, Traditional; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D009355:Neomycin / Q000494:pharmacology*
D000617:Aminoglycosides; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D001688:Biological Products; D009355:Neomycin; D002746:Chlorpromazine