Anti-methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) activity of MC21-B, an antibacterial compound produced by the marine bacterium Pseudoalteromonas phenolica O-BC30T

The aim of this study was to purify, characterise and evaluate the in vitro activity of MC21-B, an antibiotic produced by the marine bacterium Pseudoalteromonas phenolica O-BC30T. MC21-B was purified by sequential silica and Cosmosil chromatography followed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The chemical structure of MC21-B was determined by ultraviolet, infrared, electron impact mass and nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometric analyses. To evaluate its antibacterial activity, minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) against 10 clinical isolates of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) as well as kill times were determined. Antifungal activity was determined by the paper disk diffusion method. Cytotoxicity against human cells was determined with MTT [3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide]. Based on spectrophotometric analyses, MC21-B was predicted to be a novel substance, 2,2′,3-tribromobiphenyl-4,4′-dicarboxylic acid. MC21-B exhibited anti-MRSA activity against all 10 clinical isolates of MRSA, with MICs between 1 μg/mL and 4 μg/mL. MC21-B was highly active against Bacillus subtilis and Enterococcus serolicida but was inactive against Gram-negative bacteria and fungi. Furthermore, MC21-B exhibited cytotoxic activity against human normal dermal fibroblasts and human leukaemic (MOLT) cells at 3–12-fold higher concentrations than required for its antibacterial activity. These results demonstrated that MC21-B has high in vitro activity against MRSA and might be useful as a lead compound in developing new anti-MRSA substances.