title: Antibiotic resistance modulation by natural products obtained from Nasutitermes corniger (Motschulsky, 1855) and its nest.
abstract: Insects and their products are included in the traditional pharmacopoeia of various ethnic groups worldwide. In the Brazilian semiarid region can be highlighted the use of the termite Nasutitermes corniger for the treatment of various diseases. This study evaluated the ethanol extract of N. corniger and its nest as an antimicrobial agent and as a modulator of bacterial resistance against multidrug strains. The Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) of the extract on Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli by microdilution was determined, as well as MIC of antibiotics in the presence and absence of extract. Despite having no significant antimicrobial activity (MIC ⩾ 1000 μg mL(-1)), the extract showed additive activity to the antibiotic efficacy, significantly reducing its MIC. These results suggest that N. corniger and its nest are promising natural products for use in antimicrobial therapy.
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal do Piauí, Campus Professora Cinobelina Elvas, Bom Jesus, PI 64900-000, Brazil ; Laboratório de Desenvolvimento e Ensaios de Medicamentos, Centro de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde, Universidade Estadual da Paraíba, Campina Grande, Paraíba 58.429-500, Brazil.
authors.forename: Thiago P
authors.initials: TP
authors.lastname: Chaves
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Desenvolvimento e Ensaios de Medicamentos, Centro de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde, Universidade Estadual da Paraíba, Campina Grande, Paraíba 58.429-500, Brazil.
authors.forename: Elaine L C
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: Clementino
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Biologia, Centro de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde, Universidade Estadual da Paraíba, Campina Grande, Paraíba 58.429-500, Brazil.
authors.forename: Delcio C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Felismino
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Biologia, Centro de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde, Universidade Estadual da Paraíba, Campina Grande, Paraíba 58.429-500, Brazil.
authors.forename: Rômulo R N
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Alves
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Departamento de Botânica, Ecologia e Zoologia, Natal, RN 59072-900, Brazil.
authors.forename: Alexandre
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vasconcellos
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Microbiologia e Biologia Molecular, Universidade Regional do Cariri, Crato, CE 63105-000, Brazil.
authors.forename: Henrique D M
authors.initials: HD
authors.lastname: Coutinho
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Desenvolvimento e Ensaios de Medicamentos, Centro de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde, Universidade Estadual da Paraíba, Campina Grande, Paraíba 58.429-500, Brazil.
authors.forename: Ana Cláudia D
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Medeiros
keywords: Antimicrobial activity; Ethnopharmacology; Insect; Modification of resistance; Synergistic effect; Zootherapy