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Life Sciences

Iowa State University

Byron F. Brehm-Stecher

2003

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Sensitization Of Staphylococcus Aureus And Escherichia Coli To Antibiotics By The Sesquiterpenoids Nerolidol, Farnesol, Bisabolol, And Apritone, Byron F. Brehm-Stecher, Eric A. Johnson Oct 2003

Sensitization Of Staphylococcus Aureus And Escherichia Coli To Antibiotics By The Sesquiterpenoids Nerolidol, Farnesol, Bisabolol, And Apritone, Byron F. Brehm-Stecher, Eric A. Johnson

Byron F. Brehm-Stecher

The sesquiterpenoids nerolidol, farnesol, bisabolol, and apritone were investigated for their abilities to enhance bacterial permeability and susceptibility to exogenous antimicrobial compounds. Initially, it was observed by flow cytometry that these sesquiterpenoids promoted the intracellular accumulation of the membrane-impermeant nucleic acid stain ethidium bromide by live cells of Lactobacillus fermentum, suggesting that enhanced permeability resulted from disruption of the cytoplasmic membrane. The ability of these sesquiterpenoids to increase bacterial susceptibility to a number of clinically important antibiotics was then investigated. In disk diffusion assays, treatment with low concentrations (0.5 to 2 mM) of nerolidol, bisabolol, or apritone enhanced the susceptibility …