The potential synergistic effect of EGCG-S and antibiotics on the ESKAPE pathogens

The primary etiology of nosocomial infections derives from the following pathogenic organisms: Enterococcus faecium/faecalis, Staphyloccoccus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumanni, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Enterobacter species(ESKAPE). These opportunistic organisms are multidrug resistant and have the ability to form biofilm; which pose a great threat to clinical medicine due to the increasing demand for new anti-bacterial treatments. Evidence has shown catechins found in green tea (Camellia sinensis), have the ability to inhibit bacterial growth and proliferation through mechanisms that induce oxidative stress and compromise bacterial transcription; thus reducing biofilm formation. In this study, a modified polyphenolic catechin compound Epigallocatechin-3-gallate stearate (EGCG-S) was used to research it’s potential to inhibit ESKAPE growth and biofilm formation. In addition, synergistic ability of EGCG-S with antibiotics was also studied. Disk diffusion and colony forming unit assays were conducted to study the effects of EGCG-S, with and without antibiotics on the ESKAPE bacteria. Growth curves were monitored and biofilm formation was analyzed. In all of the microorganisms, EGCG-S was able to enhance the antimicrobial activity of some antibiotics and converting them from resistant to sensitive. The results indicated that EGCG-S can inhibit the growth and biofilm formation of bacteria at both 250 and 500 ug/ml.