Membrane disruption and anti-quorum sensing effects of synergistic interaction between Lavandula angustifolia (lavender oil) in combination with antibiotic against plasmid-conferred multi-drug-resistant Escherichia coli

Abstract

Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate the mode of action of the lavender essential oil (LV) on antimicrobial activity against multi-drugresistant Escherichia coli J53 R1 when used singly and in combination with piperacillin. Method and Results: In the time-kill analysis, a complete killing of bacteria was observed based on colony counts within 4 h when LV was combined with piperacillin during exposure at determined FIC concentrations. Analysis of the membrane permeabilizing effects of LV on treated cultures through their stability against sodium dodecyl sulphate revealed that the LV played a role in disrupting the bacterial cell membrane. The finding is further supported by scanning electron microscopy analysis and zeta potential measurement. In addition, reduction in light production expression of E. coli [pSB1075] by the LV showed the presence of potential quorum sensing (QS) inhibitors. Conclusions: These results indicated that the LV has the potential to reverse bacterial resistance to piperacillin in E. coli J53 R1. It may operate via two mechanisms: alteration of outer membrane permeability and inhibition of bacterial QS. Significance and Impact of the Study: These findings offer a novel approach to develop a new option of phytopharmaceuticals against multi-drug-resistant E. coli.

Plant-Derived Antimicrobials: Insights into Mitigation of Antimicrobial Resistance

“…Besides that, it has also been reported that tea tree, Melaleuca alternifolia essential oil has the ability to permeate the bacterial cell wall and cell membrane of both Gram positive and negative bacteria, allowing for easier diffusion of antibiotics contributing to cellular content leakage, and eventually cell death [138][139]. In addition, the essential oils of cinnamon bark, Cinnamomum verum and lavender, Lavandula angustifolia have been shown to exhibit synergistic relationships with piperacillin when used against multidrug resistant E. coli [140][141]. Yap et al (2015) also postulated that such synergism arose from multiple compounds within the essential oil, which helped permeate the outer membrane, and to further inhibit the quorum sensing ability of the multidrug resistant E. coli.…”

Plant Essential Oil: An Alternative to Emerging Multidrug Resistant Pathogenso

“…Yap et al [11] in their study demonstrated that cinnamon bark as well as lavender EO induced unalterable membrane damage to multidrug resistant E. coli strain and also inhibit quorum sensing evidenced by reduced production of bioluminescence. The most polar fraction obtained from Cistus ladaniferus Gouan ex Steud EO, which was mainly constituted by mono-and sesquiterpene alcohols, were reported to induce cell wall distortion with an outer cytoplasmic membrane detachment in a multidrug resistant strain of Enterobacter aerogenes [12].…”

Essential Oils: The Ultimate Solution to Antimicrobial Resistance in <i>Escherichia coli</i>?

“…Quite a number of publications regarding the usage of essential oils and antibiotics as a combinatory therapy have indicated great success, with significant reductions in the dosage of antibiotics required to completely annihilate multidrug-resistant pathogens [31][32][33][34][35][36]. Despite this, the usage of essential oils as a component for combinatory treatment posed a few challenges in its application.…”

“…In our previous work, we have employed E. coli [pSB401] and [pSB1075], which produce bioluminescence in response to short and long chain AHL respectively as the biosensors [64]. Lavandula angustifolia and Cinnamomum verum bark essential oils were found to significantly inhibit the light production of the biosensors, indicating the possibility of these EOs as quorum-sensing inhibitors [31,32]. …”