Inhibition of Penicillinase by Epigallocatechin Gallate Resulting in Restoration of Antibacterial Activity of Penicillin against Penicillinase-Producing Staphylococcus aureus

The combination of epigallocatechin gallate (EGCg, a main constituent of tea catechins) with penicillin showed synergism against 21 clinical isolates of penicillinase-producing Staphylococcus aureus. Besides binding directly to peptidoglycan, the inhibition of penicillinase activity by EGCg is responsible for the synergism. EGCg inhibited the penicillinase activity in a dose-dependent fashion, with a 50% inhibitory concentration of 10 μg/ml.