A natural substance of green tea can apparently help fight antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The substance increases the effect of the antibiotic Aztreonam, as scientists from the University of Surrey and the German centre for infection research (DZIF) reports. The combination also appears to be well tolerated.
A substance in green tea called Epigallocatechin (EGCG) may increase the effects of Aztreonam. This reserve antibiotic is used to treat serious infections caused by the bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The bacterium has become in the last years a lot of important antibiotic classes resistant, so that often a combination of antibiotics must be used against an infection.
In Tests, the researchers were able to demonstrate that Aztreonam inhibits in combination with EGCG on the proliferation of the bacteria more effectively. This was confirmed in infected larvae of the greater wax moth. It is significantly more larvae that were treated with the combination survived, as with EGCG or Aztreonam alone. The combination of the two active ingredients in human skin cells and wax moth larvae only minimally toxic.
Professor Roberto La Ragione, head of the Department of pathology and infectious diseases at the School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Surrey, said: "The world health organization has classified antimicrobial resistance of Pseudomonas aeruginosa as a critical threat to human health. We have shown that we can counter such threats through the use of natural products in combination with already used antibiotics successfully."
ZOU