Anti-biofilm, anti-hemolysis, and anti-virulence activities of black pepper, cananga, myrrh oils, and nerolidol against Staphylococcus aureus

Abstract

The long-term usage of antibiotics has resulted in the evolution of multidrug-resistant bacteria. Unlike antibiotics, anti-virulence approaches target bacterial virulence without affecting cell viability, which may be less prone to develop drug resistance. Staphylococcus aureus is a major human pathogen that produces diverse virulence factors, such as α-toxin, which is hemolytic. Also, biofilm formation of S. aureus is one of the mechanisms of its drug resistance. In this study, anti-biofilm screening of 83 essential oils showed that black pepper, cananga, and myrrh oils and their common constituent cis-nerolidol at 0.01 % markedly inhibited S. aureus biofilm formation. Furthermore, the three essential oils and cis-nerolidol at below 0.005 % almost abolished the hemolytic activity of S. aureus. Transcriptional analyses showed that black pepper oil down-regulated the expressions of the α-toxin gene (hla), the nuclease genes, and the regulatory genes. In addition, black pepper, cananga, and myrrh oils and cis-nerolidol attenuated S. aureus virulence in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. This study is one of the most extensive on anti-virulence screening using diverse essential oils and provides comprehensive data on the subject. This finding implies other beneficial effects of essential oils and suggests that black pepper, cananga, and myrrh oils have potential use as anti-virulence strategies against persistent S. aureus infections.

Phytochemical investigations and antiproliferative secondary metabolites from Thymus alternans growing in Slovakia

“…2013), as an antimicrobial and anti-biofilm agent against Staphylococcus aureus (Lee et al. 2014) and Candida albicans (Curvelo et al. 2014), and as anti-parasitic versus Leishmania species (Arruda et al.…”

Efficacy of 7‐benzyloxyindole and other halogenated indoles to inhibit Candida albicans biofilm and hyphal formation

“…Hyphal formation of C. albicans was observed by SEM, as previously described (Lee et al ., 2014). Small pieces (0.5 × 0.5 cm) of nylon filter were placed in each well of 96‐well plates containing 200 μl cells suspension/well at the density of 10 5  CFU ml −1 .…”

Essential Oil Composition, Antioxidant and Allelopathic Activities of Cleome droserifolia (Forssk.) Delile

“…Nerolidol is used to enhance flavor and aroma and has been used as a topical skin penetration enhancer, therefore integrated into the manufacturing of cosmetic and non-cosmetic products. [29] Moreover, various pharmacological and biological activities of nerolidol have been reported such as antimicrobial, [30] cytotoxic, [31] antioxidant, [32] antibiofilm, antihemolysis, antivirulence, [33] antinociceptive, and anti-inflammatory. [34] However, according to our knowledge, the allelopathic activity of nerolidol is still not well studied.…”