Phytochemicals with activity against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus

Miaomiao Liang; Xueliang Ge; Hui Xua; Kaifeng Ma; Wei Zhang; Yibo Zan; Thomas Efferth; Zheyong Xue; Xin Hua

doi:10.1016/j.phymed.2022.154073

Phytochemicals with activity against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus

Phytomedicine. 2022 Jun:100:154073. doi: 10.1016/j.phymed.2022.154073. Epub 2022 Apr 1.

Authors

Miaomiao Liang¹, Xueliang Ge², Hui Xua¹, Kaifeng Ma¹, Wei Zhang¹, Yibo Zan¹, Thomas Efferth³, Zheyong Xue⁴, Xin Hua⁵

Affiliations

¹ Key Laboratory of Saline-alkali Vegetation Ecology Restoration (Northeast Forestry University), Ministry of Education, Harbin, China.
² Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Biomedical Center, Uppsala University, Uppsala SE-75124, Sweden.
³ Department of Pharmaceutical Biology, Institute of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz 55128, Germany.
⁴ Key Laboratory of Saline-alkali Vegetation Ecology Restoration (Northeast Forestry University), Ministry of Education, Harbin, China. Electronic address: zyxue@nefu.edu.cn.
⁵ Key Laboratory of Saline-alkali Vegetation Ecology Restoration (Northeast Forestry University), Ministry of Education, Harbin, China. Electronic address: huaxin@nefu.edu.cn.

PMID: 35397285
DOI: 10.1016/j.phymed.2022.154073

Abstract

Background: The evolution of resistance to antimicrobials is a ubiquitous phenomenon. The evolution of antibiotic resistance in Staphylococcus aureus suggests that there is no remedy with sustaining effectiveness against this pathogen. The limited number of antibacterial drug classes and the common occurrence of cross-resistant bacteria reinforce the urgent need to discover new compounds targeting novel cellular functions. Natural products are a potential source of novel antibacterial agents. Anti-MRSA (methicillin-resistant S. aureus) bioactive compounds from Streptomyces and the anti-MRSA activity of a series of plant extracts have been reviewed respectively. However, there has been no detailed review of the precise bioactive components from plants.

Purpose: The present review aimed to summarize the phytochemicals that have been reported with anti-MRSA activities, analyze their structure-activity relationship and novel anti-MRSA mechanisms.

Methods: Data contained in this review article are compiled from the authoritative databases PubMed, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and so on.

Results: This review summarizes 100 phytochemicals (27 flavonoids, 23 alkaloids, 17 terpenes and 33 others) that have been tested for their anti-MRSA activity. Among these phytochemicals, 39 compounds showed remarkable anti-MRSA activity with MIC values less than 10 μg/ml, 14 compounds with MIC ranges including values < 10 μg/ml, 5 compounds with MIC values less than 5 μM; 11 phytochemicals show synergism anti-MRSA effects in combination with antibiotics. Phytochemicals exerted anti-MRSA activities mainly by destroying the membrane structure and inhibiting the efflux pump.

Conclusions: The 58 compounds with excellent anti-MRSA activity the 11 compounds with synergistic anti-MRSA effect, especially cannabinoids, xanthones and fatty acids should be further studied in vitro. Novel targets, such as cell membrane and efflux pump could be promising alternatives to develop antibacterial drugs in the future in order to prevent drug resistance.

Keywords: MRSA; Novel anti-MRSA mechanisms; Phytochemicals; Resistance mechanisms; Structure-activity relationship.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Anti-Bacterial Agents / pharmacology
Drug Synergism
Humans
Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus*
Microbial Sensitivity Tests
Phytochemicals / pharmacology
Staphylococcal Infections* / microbiology

Substances

Anti-Bacterial Agents
Phytochemicals