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BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies
Published in: BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies 1/2018

Open Access 01-12-2018 | Research article

In vitro antibacterial effects of Tanreqing injection combined with vancomycin or linezolid against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus

Authors: Weifeng Yang, Jueling Liu, Biljana Blažeković, Yanan Sun, Shuhua Ma, Chuanyun Ren, Sanda Vladimir-Knežević, Chaohua Li, Yajun Xing, Guijie Tian, Yi Wang

Published in: BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies | Issue 1/2018

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Abstract

Background

Combining conventional drugs and traditional medicine may represent a useful approach to combating antibiotic resistance, which has become a serious threat to global public health. This study aimed to evaluate the potential synergistic interactions between Tanreqing (TRQ) injection, a commercial traditional Chinese medicine formula used for the treatment of upper respiratory tract infection, and selected antibiotics used against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).

Methods

The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of TRQ, vancomycin and linezolid against planktonic MRSA strain were determined by the broth microdilution method. The combined effects of TRQ and antibiotics were studied by the checkerboard method and the time-kill curve assay. The 2,3-bis-(2-methoxy-4-nitro-5-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium-5-carboxanilide (XTT) reduction assay was employed to determine the inhibitory effect of the test compounds alone and in combination against MRSA embedded in biofilms.

Results

MRSA strain was found to be susceptible to TRQ formula with MIC value 4125 μg/ml, while the MIC values for antibiotics, vancomycin and linezolid, were 2.5 μg/ml. The checkerboard analysis revealed that TRQ markedly enhanced activities of the tested antibiotics by reducing their MICs. In the time-kill analysis, TRQ at 1/2 × MIC in combination with vancomycin at 1/2 × MIC, as well as TRQ at 1/8 × MIC in combination with linezolid at 1/2 × MIC decreased the viable colonies by ≥2log10 CFU/ml, resulting in a potent synergistic effect against planktonic MRSA. In contrast to the tested antibiotics, which did not affect mature MRSA biofilms at subinhibitory concentrations, TRQ alone showed strong ability to disrupt preformed biofilms and induce biofilm cell death. The combination of TRQ with vancomycin or linezolid at sub-MIC concentrations resulted in a synergistic antibiofilm effect significantly higher than for each single agent.

Conclusions

This study provides the first in vitro evidence on the synergistic effects of TRQ and vancomycin or linezolid against planktonic and biofilm MRSA, and revealed their optimal combination doses, thereby providing a rational basis for the combination therapies against MRSA.
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Metadata
Title
In vitro antibacterial effects of Tanreqing injection combined with vancomycin or linezolid against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus
Authors
Weifeng Yang
Jueling Liu
Biljana Blažeković
Yanan Sun
Shuhua Ma
Chuanyun Ren
Sanda Vladimir-Knežević
Chaohua Li
Yajun Xing
Guijie Tian
Yi Wang
Publication date
01-12-2018
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies / Issue 1/2018
Electronic ISSN: 2662-7671
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12906-018-2231-8

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