Screening of extracts of algae from Baja California Sur, Mexico as reversers of the antibiotic resistance of some pathogenic bacteria

M. Muñoz-Ochoa, J.I. Murillo-Álvarez, L.A. Zermeño-Cervantes, S. Martínez-Diaz, R. Rodríguez-Riosmena*

Departamento de Desarrollo de Tecnologías, Centro Interdisciplinario de Ciencias Marinas, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, La Paz (Mexico); *Departamento de Biología Marina, Universidad Autónoma de Baja California Sur, La Paz (Mexico)

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• Pharmacology

Abstract. – Background and Objectives: Sixty ethanol extracts of marine flora of Baja California Sur (Mexico) were screened to evaluate the reversing effect of the bacterial resistance to antibiotics in combination with a sublethal concentration of ampicillin or erythromycin.
Materials and Methods: The activity was assayed by using a modification of the classical agar-diffusion method against 3 resistant, pathogenic bacteria; Escherichia coli (ATCC BAA196), Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC BAA42), and Streptococcus pyogenes (ATCC BAA946).
Results: From the 60 ethanolic extracts, 12 (20%) of them in combination with ampicillin were able to reverse the resistance of Staphylococcus aureus and 8 (13%) with erythromycin yielded the same reversal with Streptococcus pyogenes. An extract from Sargassum horridum was the only one that reversed the resistance to antibiotics against both Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pyogenes.
Conclusions: Our findings suggest that some algae may be source of compounds with the potential to reverse the antibiotic resistance of some bacteria. In addition, of the assayed extracts, 35 (57%) showed inhibitory activity against Staphylococcus aureus, 48 (78%) were active against Streptococcus pyogenes, but none was active against Escherichia coli. The most active extracts were from Laurencia spp., Gelidium robustum, Chnoospora implexa, Padina mexicana, Gracilaria subsecundata, and Dictyopteris undulata.

Corresponding Author: Mauricio Muñoz-Ochoa, MD; e-mail: mmo6709@gmail.com