Limited effectiveness of over-the-counter plant preparations used for the treatment of urinary tract infections as inhibitors of the urease activity from Staphylococcus saprophyticus

摘要

AimsUrease is a key virulence factor for the Gram-positive urinary tract pathogen Staphylococcus saprophyticus and a potential target for antimicrobial therapy. The enzyme from S. saprophyticus is unusual in that it does not contain cysteine at the active site. The aims of this study were to test 14 over-the-counter plant preparations as inhibitors of this urease and to determine whether they can prevent the increase in pH that normally occurs in bacterial cultures containing urea.