Effects of natural antimicrobial compounds on the viability and resistance of antibiotic-resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Department of Physical Culture and Informatics, Institute of education and management, West Kazakhstan Innovative Technological University, Uralsk, Kazakhstan

2 Department of Biology and Geography, Higher School of Science and Pedagogy M.Auezov South Kazakhstan University, Shymkent, Kazakhstan

3 Atyrau University named after Kh. Dosmukhamedov, Atyrau, Kazakhstan

4 Department of Pharmaceutical and Toxicological Chemistry, Asfendiyarov Kazakh National Medical University, Almaty, Kazakhstan

5 Department of Toxicological Chemistry, Asfendiyarov Kazakh National Medical University, Almaty, Kazakhstan

10.22124/cjes.2026.9495

Abstract

The issue of bacterial resistance to antibiotics has created an urgent need for new therapeutic approaches. This study aimed to evaluate the antimicrobial activity of two natural compounds, carvacrol and curcumin, against clinically resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and multidrug-resistant (MDR) Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The research methodology included determination of minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC), investigation of membrane damage, and evaluation of the combined effect with conventional antibiotics using the checkerboard method and calculation of the FIC index. Quantitative results showed that carvacrol had stronger activity; its MIC for MRSA strains ranged from 62.5 to 125 μg mL-1  and its MBC/MIC ratio was 2 to 4, indicating a strong bactericidal effect. The compound also caused significant leakage of 260 nm adsorbents from the cells, confirming the membrane damage mechanism. In contrast, curcumin exhibited a higher MIC (250-500 μg mL-1 for MRSA) and an MBC/MIC ratio of ≥8, indicating a bacteriostatic agent. The most important finding was the high synergistic effect of carvacrol with vancomycin against MRSA, which was confirmed by an FIC of 0.375. An additive or partial synergistic effect was also observed between carvacrol and ciprofloxacin against Pseudomonas. In the serial passage test, carvacrol, despite its potent effect, showed a lower potential to induce resistance to some agents. In conclusion, carvacrol has promising therapeutic potential as an adjuvant or sensitizer against resistant pathogens due to its direct killing properties and ability to enhance the efficacy of conventional antibiotics. These findings provide a basis for further studies in the formulation and preclinical evaluation of this compound.

Keywords

References

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Caspian Journal of Environmental Sciences
Volume 24, Issue 1
January 2026
Pages 63-70

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