Engineers at McGill University say maple syrup could be used in conjunction with antibiotics. Photo Credit: Jean-François Chénier on Flickr, via Creative Commons
In addition to being incredibly delicious, maple syrup (yes, the one you put on your pancakes) can apparently increase the susceptibility of disease-causing bacteria to antibiotics. The team behind this study says its findings could lead to lower usage of antibiotics.
The research was conducted in Montreal by the Department of Chemical Engineering at McGill University, which is fitting considering Canada’s affinity for the sugary syrup. They found that combining maple syrup with common antibiotics boosted its capacity for fighting bacteria.
An effective approach
“We would have to do in vivo tests, and eventually clinical trials, before we can say what the effect would be in humans,” says Professor Nathalie Tufenkji. “But the findings suggest a potentially simple and effective approach for reducing antibiotic usage. I could see maple syrup extract being incorporated eventually, for example, into the capsules of antibiotics.”
Tufenkj and her team started off by preparing a concentrated extract of maple syrup, which is filled with phenolic compounds. The researchers purchased all of the samples from markets near the university. They then tested the extract’s effect on bacteria such as E. coli and Proteus mirabilis (the latter often leads to urinary tract infections). The extract combated bacteria with minimal strength on its own, but worked significantly better once paired with antibiotics.
Combating biofilms
In fact, the extract and the antibiotics acted in synergy to combat resistant bacteria communities called biofilms, which tend to occur in tricky infections. The extract also had an impact on the bacteria’s gene expression; for instance, it repressed genes associated with virulence and antibiotic resistance, among others.
Tufenkj and her engineering team have a lot of work ahead of them. Still, their research has a lot of implications for the pharmaceutical industry; overuse of antibiotics is a worldwide issue and often opens the door for drug-resistant bacteria. A detailed account of their findings will be published in the journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology.
Source: McGill University