Green Tea Pathogens

Increasing incidences of antibiotic resistance among pathogens has created a demand to explore alternative treatment approaches. One such approach involves evaluating plant derived compounds for their activity against drug resistant pathogens. This study aims at examining the effect of green tea leaf extracts (GTE) on Metallo-β-lactamase (MBL) producing gram negative uropathogens. An ethanolic extract of GTE was prepared using soxhlet apparatus and its effect was studied on seven gram negative MBL producing uropathogens with respect to its Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) and Minimum Bactericidal Concentration (MBC). In addition, the synergistic activity of ampicillin (a β-lactam drug) with GTE was carried out by agar dilution method to analyze the reduction in MBC of ampicillin in the presence of sub-lethal concentrations of GTE. The MIC of GTE for the MBL producing uropathogens was found to be similar to that of ampicillin. However, in presence of sub lethal concentrations of GTE, the MIC of ampicillin was reduced for most cultures

This practice inactivates indigenous oxidizing enzymes, thereby maintaining in the leaves a level of polyphenols that is much higher than those found in Black Tea or Oolong Tea [13]. Green tea polyphenols, collectively known as catechins, comprise 30% -40 % of the extractable solids of dried green tea leaves. They include Epicatechin (EC), Epicatechin gallate (ECG), Epigallocatechin (EGC), and Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), all of which have demonstrable bactericidal activity against various gram positive and gram negative bacteria [14, 15]. Studies performed on the biological activity of GTE and tea polyphenols have implicated catechins to be the main components, possessing anti-microbial, anti-carcinogenic, antioxidant, and chemo-preventive properties [16, 17, 18,