Antimicrobial Activity of Terpenes and Oxygen-Containing Terpenoids Against <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i>

At various pathological states, Staphylococcus aureus may cause a number of diseases. Rapid spread of antibiotic resistance necessitates the search for alternative approaches to antimicrobial treatment of staphylococci. Due to their membranotropic properties, natural and synthetic terpenoids are capable both of antimicrobial action and of potentiation of the effect of other antimicrobial agents. Antimicrobial activity of 53 natural terpenes and their synthetic oxygen-containing derivatives was determined, as well as their ability to potentiate the effect of known antimicrobials on S. aureus. Two- to fourfold increase in efficiency of amikacin, ceftriaxone, and miramistin in the presence of (+)-3β,4β-carandiol and (‒)-myrtenic acid indicates the possibility of their application for combined therapy together with medical preparations in order to decrease the concentrations of the latter.