The combined effects of ethanolic extract of Artemisia aucheri and Artemisia oliveriana on biofilm genes expression of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: One of the most important antibiotic-resistant bacteria is methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) biofilm that has caused significant problems in treating the patients. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the levels of expression of genes involved in biofilm formation in MRSA (ATCC 33591) while being treated by a combination of Artemisia aucheri and Artemisia oliveriana. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of ethanolic extract of A. aucheri and A. oliveriana and also the minimum inhibitory concentration of combination of both extracts were 512, 1024 and 256 μg/ml, respectively; then at concentrations lower than the MIC, expression levels of the desired genes were determined by Real Time PCR. RESULTS: Based on results, using a combination of two ethanolic extracts had a significant effect on expression of genes involved in biofilm formation in MRSA. The expression level of icaA at 4, 8, 16 h after being treated by herbal extracts of A. aucheri and A. oliveriana was 0.293, 0.121, 0.044, respectively. The expression level of icaD was 0.285, 0.097, 0.088, respectively, while that of ebps was 0.087, 0.042, 0.009 at 4, 8 and 16 h, respectively. CONCLUSION: This study provided evidence that ethanol extract of A. oliveriava and A. aucheri can inhibit the biofilm formation of S. aureus. As a traditional Iranian medicine, A. oliveriava and A. aucheri extracts have a potential antibiofilm formation against MRSA strains.