Since the discovery of penicillin in 1928, antibiotics have saved countless lives. Over the years though disease causing bugs have evolved and strengthened and some are becoming resistant to antibiotics.
Enter maple syrup — the yummy stuff we love on pancakes, most of which is harvested from Canadian maples. A recent study at McGill University seems to indicate that a phenolic compound found in maple syrup might boost the effectiveness of antibiotics, meaning a lower dosage would produce the same results.
Prof. Nathalie Tufenkji’s research team in the university’s Department of Chemical Engineering prepared a concentrated extract of maple syrup that consists mainly of phenolic compounds.
They then tested the extract on infection causing strains of bacteria, including E.coli, an intestinal bacterium, Proteus mirabilis, a common cause of urinary tract infections, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which can cause hospital-acquired infections
On its own the extract was somewhat effective in combatting bacteria, but when it was combined with antibiotics, the results were impressive. When combined with the maple syrup extract antibiotic doses could be reduced by up to 90 per cent.
The maple syrup extract also acted synergistically with antibiotics to destroy biofilms, resistant communities of bacteria which are common in hard to treat infections.
Overuse of antibiotics has sparked the emergence of drug-resistant bacteria but it would seem that a maple syrup/antibiotic combo could increase the microbes’ susceptibility to antibiotics, leading to lower antibiotic usage.
In an article in the McGill Newsroom, Prof. Nathalie Tufenkji cautions that more testing and clinical trials are necessary before effects in humans could be ascertained, but added that 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,” she said.
- Shirley Byers