Considering the evidence that essential oils, as well as safrole, could modulate bacterial growth in different resistant strains, this study aims to characterize the phytochemical profile and evaluate the antibacterial and antibiotic-modulating properties of the essential oil Ocotea odorífera (EOOO) and safrole against efflux pump (EP)-carrying strains. The EOOO was extracted by hydrodistillation, and the phytochemical analysis was performed by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The antibacterial and antibiotic-modulating activities of the EOOO and safrole against resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were analyzed through the broth microdilution method. The EP-inhibiting potential of safrole in association with ethidium bromide or antibiotics was evaluated using the S. aureus 1199B and K2068 strains, which carry genes encoding efflux proteins associated with antibiotic resistance to norfloxacin and ciprofloxacin, respectively. A reduction in the MIC of ethidium bromide or antibiotics was used as a parameter of EP inhibition. The phytochemical analysis identified 16 different compounds in the EOOO including safrole as the principal constituent. While the EOOO and safrole exerted clinically relevant antibacterial effects against S. aureus only, they potentiated the antibacterial activity of norfloxacin against all strains evaluated by our study. The ethidium bromide and antibiotic assays using the strains of S. aureus SA1119B and K2068, as well as molecular docking analysis, indicated that safrole inhibits the NorA and MepA efflux pumps in S. aureus. In conclusion, Ocotea odorifera and safrole presented promising antibacterial and antibiotic-enhancing properties, which should be explored in the development of drugs to combat antibacterial resistance, especially in strains bearing genes encoding efflux proteins.

中文翻译：

---

GC-MS谱图和Ocoteaodorífera和Safrole精油的抗菌活性增强：金黄色葡萄球菌外排泵的抑制作用。

考虑到香精油以及黄樟脑可以调节不同耐药菌株中细菌的生长的证据，本研究旨在表征植物化学特征并评估香精油Ocoteaodorífera（EOOO）和黄樟脑的抗菌和抗生素调节特性。携带外排泵的菌株。通过加氢蒸馏提取EOOO，并通过气相色谱-质谱联用（GC-MS）进行植物化学分析。通过肉汤微稀释法分析了EOOO和黄樟脑对金黄色葡萄球菌，大肠埃希菌和铜绿假单胞菌耐药菌株的抗菌和抗生素调节活性。使用S评估了黄樟脑与溴化乙锭或抗生素的EP抑制潜力。aureus 1199B和K2068菌株，分别携带编码与诺氟沙星和环丙沙星抗生素抗性相关的外排蛋白的基因。溴乙锭或抗生素的MIC降低被用作EP抑制的参数。植物化学分析确定了EOOO中的16种不同化合物，其中以黄樟脑为主要成分。虽然EOOO和黄樟脑仅对金黄色葡萄球菌发挥临床相关的抗菌作用，但它们增强了诺氟沙星对我们研究评估的所有菌株的抗菌活性。使用金黄色葡萄球菌SA1119B和K2068菌株进行的溴化乙锭和抗生素测定以及分子对接分析表明，黄樟脑抑制金黄色葡萄球菌的NorA和MepA外排泵。结论，