Identification and biological evaluation of grapefruit oil components as potential novel efflux pump modulators in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacterial strains

Phytochemistry. 2004 Nov;65(22):3021-7. doi: 10.1016/j.phytochem.2004.08.044.

Abstract

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and MSSA strains were treated with: (a) grapefruit oil (GFO) components, isolated by chromatography and characterised by NMR and mass spectroscopy; (b) antimicrobial agents, or (c) a combination of both to evaluate (MIC determination) intrinsic antibacterial activity and to determine whether GFO components could modulate bacterial sensitivity to the anti-bacterial agents. Preliminary data suggested that the grapefruit component 4-[[(E)-5-(3,3-dimethyl-2-oxiranyl)-3-methyl-2-pentenyl]oxy]-7H-furo[3,2-g]chromen-7-one (2) enhances the susceptibility of test MRSA strains to agents, e.g., ethidium bromide and norfloxacin, to which these micro-organisms are normally resistant.

MeSH terms

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / pharmacology
  • Benzopyrans / isolation & purification
  • Citrus paradisi / chemistry*
  • Ethidium / pharmacology
  • Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy
  • Mass Spectrometry
  • Membrane Transport Proteins / drug effects*
  • Methicillin Resistance
  • Microbial Sensitivity Tests
  • Molecular Structure
  • Norfloxacin / pharmacology
  • Plant Oils / chemistry*
  • Plant Oils / pharmacology*
  • Staphylococcus aureus / drug effects*

Substances

  • 4-(((E)-5-(3,3-diemthyl-2-oxiranyl)-3-mehtyl-2-pentenyl)oxy)-7H-furo(3,2-g)chromen-7-one
  • 4-(((E)-5-(3,3-dimethyl-2-oxiranyl)-3-methyl-2-pentenyl)oxy)-7H-furo(3,2-g)chromen-7-one
  • 7-(((2E)-3,7-dimethyl-2,6-octadienyl)oxy)-2H-2chromenone
  • Anti-Bacterial Agents
  • Benzopyrans
  • Membrane Transport Proteins
  • Plant Oils
  • Ethidium
  • Norfloxacin