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Bi-functional Caulis polygoni multiflori inhibits Staphylococcus aureus and potentiates the activity of erythromycin in vitro
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  • Published: 15 February 2026

Bi-functional Caulis polygoni multiflori inhibits Staphylococcus aureus and potentiates the activity of erythromycin in vitro

  • Zhihui Li1,2,3 na1,
  • Wenlong Wang1,2,3 na1,
  • Wenbin Xu1,2,3,
  • Xiaonan Song1,2,3,
  • Chengtan Wang1,2,3,
  • Yan Wang1,2,3,
  • Zhiqing You1,2,3,
  • Min Feng1,2,3,
  • Juanjuan Fu1,2,3 &
  • …
  • Yinguang Cao1,2,3,4 

Scientific Reports , Article number:  (2026) Cite this article

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We are providing an unedited version of this manuscript to give early access to its findings. Before final publication, the manuscript will undergo further editing. Please note there may be errors present which affect the content, and all legal disclaimers apply.

Subjects

  • Biotechnology
  • Microbiology

Abstract

Staphylococcus aureus (SA), particularly methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), represents a major clinical challenge due to its ability to form biofilms, which contribute to treatment failure and recurrent infections. This study evaluated the antibacterial and anti-biofilm activity of the water extract of Caulis Polygoni Multiflori (CPM) against clinical and standard strains of SA. CPM exhibited consistent bacteriostatic and bactericidal effects, with time-kill assays confirming rapid elimination of planktonic bacteria at 2×MIC. Mechanistically, CPM dose-dependently inhibited bacterial adhesion to fibrin and suppressed biofilm formation, though it did not disrupt pre-formed biofilms, likely due to poor penetration into the biofilm matrix. In combination studies, CPM showed clear synergistic or additive effects with erythromycin in broth microdilution assays, but not in disk diffusion tests, possibly reflecting limited diffusion of CPM components in solid media. Importantly, CPM’s activity was independent of bacterial resistance profiles. These findings indicate that CPM acts through both direct bactericidal activity and anti-virulence mechanisms, and represents a promising candidate for topical combination therapy against MRSA skin and wound infections. Further studies are needed to elucidate its molecular mechanisms.

Data availability

The datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

The determination of bacterial particle size was assisted by Professor Shujuan Yao from Liaocheng University, and we would like to express our sincere gratitude.

Funding

Shandong Provincial Natural Science Foundation (ZR2017MH099); Key Project of Research and Development Fund of Shandong Second Medical University (2025FYZ018);Jieping Wu Foundation Research Special Project, 320.6750.2025-3-55.

Author information

Author notes

  1. Zhihui Li and Wenlong Wang contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Liaocheng People’s Hospital, Shandong Second Medical University, Shandong Liaocheng, 252000, China

    Zhihui Li, Wenlong Wang, Wenbin Xu, Xiaonan Song, Chengtan Wang, Yan Wang, Zhiqing You, Min Feng, Juanjuan Fu & Yinguang Cao

  2. Liaocheng Key Laboratory of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, Shandong Liaocheng, 252000, China

    Zhihui Li, Wenlong Wang, Wenbin Xu, Xiaonan Song, Chengtan Wang, Yan Wang, Zhiqing You, Min Feng, Juanjuan Fu & Yinguang Cao

  3. Clinical Laboratory Center, Liaocheng People’s Hospital, Shandong Liaocheng, 252000, China

    Zhihui Li, Wenlong Wang, Wenbin Xu, Xiaonan Song, Chengtan Wang, Yan Wang, Zhiqing You, Min Feng, Juanjuan Fu & Yinguang Cao

  4. Shandong Second Medical University, Shandong Weifang, 261053, China

    Yinguang Cao

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  1. Zhihui Li
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Contributions

Yinguang Cao is responsible for experimental design, Zhihui Li and Wenlong Wang are responsible for experimental design and biofilm related experiments, wenbin Xu, Xiaonan Song and Chengtan Wang are responsible for isolation, collection of bacterial strains, Yan Wang and Zhiqing You are responsible for preservation and activation of bacterial strains, Min Feng and Juanjuan Fu are responsible for preparation of CPM and synergism assay.

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Correspondence to Yinguang Cao.

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Li, Z., Wang, W., Xu, W. et al. Bi-functional Caulis polygoni multiflori inhibits Staphylococcus aureus and potentiates the activity of erythromycin in vitro. Sci Rep (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-40228-9

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  • Received: 04 November 2025

  • Accepted: 11 February 2026

  • Published: 15 February 2026

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-40228-9

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Keywords

  • Caulis polygoni multiflori
  • Antibacterial activity
  • Synergistic effect
  • MRSA
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