The study provides the first evidence that so-called triterpenoid acids could be used to fight methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, known as MRSA.
A recent joint study by the University of Colorado School of Medicine and Emory University found that the Brazilian pepper tree (Schinus terebinthifolia) appears to reduce the virulence of antibiotic-resistant staphylococcal bacteria.
The results of the study were published in the scientific reports published in English.
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Specific compounds have been identified in the Brazilian pepper tree that reduce the virulence of antibiotic-resistant staphylococcal bacteria.
So-called triterpenoid acids in the berries of the plant block the production of toxins.
What is the Brazilian pepper tree?
Brazilian pepper tree against increasing antibiotic resistance?
The Brazilian pepper tree (Schinus terebinthifolia) is normally native to South America.
The crop is now also common in Florida, where it displaces native species of plants.
Even though the pepper tree is often viewed as an uninvited guest, there are also many stories about the plant from the Amazon region, where traditional healers have been using it for centuries to treat skin and soft tissue infections.
The ever-increasing resistance to antibiotics is considered one of the greatest challenges for the public health system of our time.
According to the Robert Koch Institute, a study on the burden of disease by multidrug-resistant pathogens (MRE) for Europe was published in 2018, which was carried out by the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).
According to the researchers’ projections, around 670 people fall ill in Europe each year.
000 people from MRE infections.
In Germany there are about 54.
500 people a year.
Natural product to fight MRSA
The topic of antibiotic resistance should not be forgotten during the current COVID-19 pandemic.
Many COVID-19 patients are given antibiotics to cope with secondary infections, which is causing concern about a later increase in antibiotic-resistant infections, the researchers report.
In 2017, a flavon-rich mixture of 27 compounds derived from the berries of the Brazilian pepper tree was found to inhibit the formation of skin lesions in mice infected with MRSA.
The extract does not work by killing the MRSA bacteria, but by suppressing a gene that enables the bacterial cells to communicate with each other.
For their investigation, the researchers wanted to narrow down the scope of the 27 most important berry compounds to isolate the specific substances that are involved in the disarming of MRSA.
They carefully refined the original compounds and tested each new iteration for their effectiveness on the bacteria.
Various techniques have also been used to get a clear picture of the substances involved in the anti-virulence mechanism.
This approach differs from the typical treatment of killing bacteria with medication.
This can help exacerbate the problem of antibiotic resistance.
Some of the stronger bacteria survive this drug treatment and multiply, pass on their genes to the offspring and lead to the development of so-called deadly super bacteria.
Blocking this communication prevents cells from taking collective action.
This essentially prevents the bacteria from excreting toxins with which they damage the tissue.
The body’s immune system then has a better chance of healing existing wounds, the research group explains.
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