Maple Syrup Combats Drug-Resistant Bacteria
According to a recent study, concentrated extracts of maple syrup could help to make antibiotics more effective against drug-resistant bacterial strains.
“Phenolic compounds are believed to be promising candidates as complementary therapeutics. Maple syrup, prepared by concentrating the sap from the North American maple tree, is a rich source of natural and process-derived phenolic compounds.”
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In order to test the potential antimicrobial activity of maple syrup, researchers tested its effects on infection-causing strains of specific bacteria, such as Proteus mirabilis and E. coli.1,2
While researchers found that the extract was mildly effective against bacteria by itself, the maple syrup extract appeared to be more impactful after being applied in tandem to antibiotics.1,2
In hard-to-treat infections such as catheter-related urinary tract infections, researchers discovered that the extract and antibiotics worked synergistically to destroy resistant bacterial communities known as biofilms.1
Further, investigators noted that the extract represses several genes associated with antibiotic resistance and virulence within the bacteria.
“We would have to do in vivo tests, and eventually clinical trials, before we can say what the effect would be in humans,”1 said Nathalie Tufenkji,PhD, lead author of the study and associate professor of the department of chemical engineering at McGill University.
“But the findings suggest a potentially simple and effective approach for reducing antibiotic usage. I could see maple syrup extract being incorporated eventually, for example, into the capsules of antibiotics,” she said.1
The complete study is published in the April issue of Applied and Environmental Microbiology.
-Michelle Canales Butcher
References:
1. McGill University. Could maple syrup help cut use of antibiotics? April 16, 2015. www.mcgill.ca/newsroom/channels/news/could-maple-syrup-help-cut-use-antibiotics-246929. Accessed April 17, 2015.
2. Maisuria VB, Hosseinidoust Z, Tufenkji N. Polyphenolic extract from maple syrup potentiates antibiotic susceptibility and reduces biofilm formation of pathogenic bacteria. AEM. 2015 April [epub ahead of print] doi: 10.1128/AEM.00239-15.