Zingerone increases the efficacy of vancomycin in the treatment of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus biofilms

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a problematic group of bacteria associated with serious bacterial infections in humans, including a large number of hospital-acquired infections. In clinical settings, MRSA is often treated with vancomycin due to the resistance it possesses to the β-lactam class of antibiotics. However, MRSA is less responsive to vancomycin treatment when a biofilm has already formed. Thus, more research is needed to provide additional options to eradicate MRSA biofilm infections. Recent studies have shown that a compound called zingerone is able to prevent biofilm formation in numerous species of bacteria. The exact mechanism of zingerone is unknown, yet its effect seems to impact a variety of both Gram-positive and Gram-negative species. Therefore, this study aimed to test if zingerone could increase the efficacy of vancomycin in its treatment of mature biofilms grown on coverslips for 48 hours. Measuring absorbance using a colorimetric assay for cellular metabolism, this study found that the combination of zingerone and vancomycin eradicated MRSA biofilms in under a 24-hour timeframe, whereas zingerone or vancomycin alone did not. These results demonstrate that zingerone could have clinical benefit as a supplement to be used with vancomycin or other antibiotics in the treatment of biofilm-associated infections.