Antibacterial activity of the curcumin derivative FM0817 against Neisseria gonorrhoeae

The objectives were to analyze the anti-bacterial activity of the curcumin derivative FM0817 and its mechanism of action. We first tested 40 strains of Neisseria gonorrhoeae (N. gonorrhoeae) for their susceptibilities to antibiotics by the Kirby-Bauer and agar dilution methods. Total DNA was extracted by the boiling method, and 22 strains of N. gonorrhoeae were randomly selected and used as templates for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification of the antibiotic-resistance genes: TEM, tetM, erm, and mefA. The filter disc diffusion method was used to determine whether FM0817 had anti-bacterial activity. Eight strains, covering four drug-resistant genotypes/phenotypes and five different types of resistance, were selected. The susceptibility tests confirmed multi-drug resistance in N. gonorrhoeae. The percentage of strains possessing TEM and tetM was 77.2 and 77.2%, respectively. The drug-resistance genes, erm and mefA, were not detected in any of the strains studied. FM0817 exhibited potent anti-bacterial activity in vitro, but the relationship between FM0817 activity and multi-drug resistance and the resistance genes of N. gonorrhoeae remains unclear, therefore, it requires further investigation. Key words: Curcumin, anti-bacterial activity, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, resistance genes.