SCI Rep: Brazilian Bluewood extract destroys the virulence of resistant Staphylococcus

February 12, 2017 / Biovalley BIOON / - - in a new study, researchers from the University of Emory and the University of Iowa found that the red berry extract of Brazilian peppertree can eliminate the lethality of dangerous antibiotic resistant staphylococci The relevant research results were published online in the Journal of scientific reports on February 10, 2017, with the title of "virulence inhibitors from Brazil pepper block quorum sensing and abate dermonecrosis in skin infection models" "Amazon's traditional healers have used Brazilian balsam for hundreds of years to treat skin and soft tissue infections," said Cassandra quave, a correspondence author and assistant professor at Emory University's Center for human health research We analyzed the chemical components of this plant's red berries and used them to systematically test pathogenic bacteria in order to reveal the pharmacological mechanism of this plant " The researchers confirmed that a refined flavonoid rich composition (known as 430d-f5) extracted from Brazilian Bluewood red berries inhibited skin damage in mice infected with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) The mechanism of this composition is that it does not kill MRSA bacteria, but rather inhibits a gene that allows these bacteria to communicate with each other Blocking this communication prevents the bacteria from acting collectively, a phenomenon known as quorum quenching "Essentially, it eliminates the lethality of MRSA bacteria, prevents them from secreting toxins, and thus protects host tissue from these toxins," says quave The body's normal immune system then has a better chance of healing the wound " This discovery may have the potential to develop new methods to treat and prevent antibiotic resistant infections According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), antibiotic resistant infections cause at least two million illnesses and 23000 deaths each year Attacking them with drugs designed to kill deadly bacteria can exacerbate the problem of antibiotic resistance Some more powerful bacteria may survive these drug attacks, proliferate, and pass their resistance genes to their offspring, leading to the evolution of deadly "super bacteria" In contrast, the Brazilian Vetiver extract just destroys the communication signals between MRSA bacteria without killing them The researchers also found that the extract did not harm the skin tissue of mice or normal healthy bacteria on the skin "In some cases, you need to add a lot of antibiotics to treat patients," says quave But it's not always to detonate an antibiotic bomb to stop the infection Sometimes it's equally effective to use an anti-virus method, and it can also help to restore the health of patients But more research is needed to better understand how we can best use antitoxic therapy to improve patient outcomes " In 2015, quave labs found that the leaves of European chestnut trees contain components that eliminate the killing power of Staphylococcus In addition, this component does not increase the resistance of these bacteria Although Brazilian vetiver and European chestnut both destroy the communication signals needed for bacterial quorum sensing, their extracts are made up of different compounds.