African Journal of
Microbiology Research

  • Abbreviation: Afr. J. Microbiol. Res.
  • Language: English
  • ISSN: 1996-0808
  • DOI: 10.5897/AJMR
  • Start Year: 2007
  • Published Articles: 5233

Full Length Research Paper

Additive antibacterial activity of naringenin and antibiotic combinations against multidrug resistant Staphylococcus aureus

Tiza Ng?uni
  • Tiza Ng?uni
  • Plant Extract Laboratory, Department of Medical BioSciences, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of the Western Cape, Western Cape, South Africa
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Thato Mothlalamme
  • Thato Mothlalamme
  • 1. Plant Extract Laboratory, Department of Medical BioSciences, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of the Western Cape, Western Cape, South Africa; 2. Molecular Biology and Virology Laboratory, Department of Medical BioSciences, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of the Western Cape, Western Cape, South Africa.
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Raymond Daniels
  • Raymond Daniels
  • Anatomy Cluster, Department of Medical BioSciences, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of the Western Cape, Western Cape, South Africa
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Jeremy Klaasen
  • Jeremy Klaasen
  • Plant Extract Laboratory, Department of Medical BioSciences, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of the Western Cape, Western Cape, South Africa
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Burtram Clinton Fielding*
  • Burtram Clinton Fielding*
  • Molecular Biology and Virology Laboratory, Department of Medical BioSciences, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of the Western Cape, Western Cape, South Africa
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  •  Received: 06 April 2015
  •  Accepted: 25 May 2015
  •  Published: 10 June 2015

Abstract

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus has been causing numerous problems in the health care sector. This is mainly due to its ability to develop resistance to a number of antibiotics used to treat staphylococcal infections. Medicinal plants have been used to treat various ailments over the years and are generating a lot of interest as alternative treatment options. Naringenin is a plant derived flavonoid that possesses antibacterial properties, among others.  This study assessed the effect of combinations of naringenin and four antibiotics against two Staphylococcus aureus strains. The minimum inhibitory concentrations were determined using the disk diffusion and broth microdilution assays. In the disk diffusion assay, naringenin did not inhibit bacterial growth, nor did it enhance the antibacterial activity of the antibiotics in the combination study. This was attributed to its slow rate of diffusion out of the disks. On the contrary, in the broth microdilution assay, naringenin exhibited additive effects when combined with the antibiotics (at sub-inhibitory concentrations). These results show the potential of naringenin as an antibacterial agent. Furthermore, the additive effects observed at low naringenin concentrations showed that it can potentially be used in combination with antibiotics against multidrug resistant bacteria.

Key word: Staphylococcus aureus, MSSA, MRSA, antibiotics, flavonoids, disk diffusion assay, broth dilution assay, MIC

Copyright © 2024 Author(s) retain the copyright of this article.

This article is published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0

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