In this study, the antibacterial activity of farrerol against Staphylococcus aureus was determined. The minimum inhibitory concentrations capable of inhibiting 35 S. aureus strains ranged from 4 to 16 μg mL(-1) . A haemolysis assay, Western blot and real-time reverse transcriptase-PCR assay were performed to identify the influence of subinhibitory concentrations of farrerol on the secretion of α-toxin by S. aureus. The results show that farrerol significantly decreased, in a dose-dependent manner, the production of α-toxin by both methicillin-sensitive S. aureus and methicillin-resistant S. aureus.
© 2010 Federation of European Microbiological Societies. Published by Blackwell Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved.