Abstract
Staphylococcus aureus is considered the most common opportunistic pathogen in humans, capable of forming biofilm, increasing the chances of antibiotic resistance and causes several chronic diseases. Biodiversity is a source of inspiration in the search for new agents against these microorganisms. Hitherto, the efficacy of Hypericum sp. extracts as an antibacterial agent has already been demonstrated against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. In this study, we observed that until 4 µg/mL, the Hypericum brasiliense extract showed bactericidal activity against a clinical multidrug-resistant S. aureus strain (HU25) and also inhibited biofilm formation at 1/2xMIC (confirmed by SEM) and 1/4xMIC. The extract was also proportionally active against 6 h-preformed biofilm to its concentration (1/2xMIC, 1/4xMIC, p value ≤ 0.05). These promising results make Hypericum brasiliense extract a strong candidate to treat S. aureus infections, including anti-biofilm therapy.
Graphical Abstract
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Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank the technicians Jonas Mendes (Structural Characterization Laboratory - LCE) and Matheus José da Silva (Scanning Electron Microscopy Laboratory of the Center for Studies, Research and Innovation in Biofunctional Materials and Biotechnology, LMEV-CEEMB) of the Federal University of Itajubá, for their technical assistance.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.