Characterizing Eckol as a Therapeutic Aid: A Systematic Review

Manandhar, Bandana; Paudel, Pradeep; Seong, Su Hui; Jung, Hyun Ah; Choi, Jae Sue

Despite the boost in the expansion of antibacterial agents, the development of multidrug-resistant bacteria has created a special need for research on new antibacterial agents [121] . As the need grows, the development of more powerful natural antimicrobial agents with minimal side effects and toxicity is a necessity for public health [122] . A study designed to evaluate the combined activity of ampicillin and eckol against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Salmonella isolates revealed the antimicrobial activity of eckol towards all the tested strains. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of eckol towards S. aureus and Salmonella showed inhibition in a concentration-dependent manner, but all concentrations caused a reduction in CFUs over time, showing at least a 4 log10 decrease in the bacterial count after 4 h. Concentrations between 125 and 500 µg/mL showed bacteriostatic activity while that between 250 and 500 µg/mL inhibited the expansion of Salmonella for a period of 24 h. The fraction inhibitory concentration index ranged from 0.31 to 0.5 for the combination of eckol and ampicillin, showing a high inhibition against S. aureus when ampicillin was used in combination with eckol as compared to when it was used alone [29] .