Abstract

Simple Summary Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) is an important pathogen of zoonoses including skin abscesses, pneumonia and sepsis in humans and dermatitis, mastitis, abscesses and arthritis in animals. However, the clinical treatment of staphylococcosis has become increasingly difficult due to the overuse of antibiotics, which has led to the development of antibiotic resistance. Consequently, developing safe antimicrobial strategies to reduce antibiotic resistance has become imperative. Schisandra propinqua (Wall.) Baill. var. sinensis Oliv, a member of the magnoliaceae family, was documented in the Chinese Materia Medica. The root of Schisandra propinqua (Wall.) Baill. var. sinensis Oliv has been used to treat trauma-related injuries, abscesses, carbuncles, and so on. However, the bacteriostatic mechanism against S. aureus in Schisandra propinqua (Wall.) Baill. var. sinensis Oliv has never been reported. This study investigated the bacteriostatic mechanism of the ethyl acetate extract from the roots of Schisandra propinqua (Wall.) Baill. var. sinensis Oliv (Xiao Xue Teng) against S. aureus ATCC 25923. The results showed that Xiao Xue Teng exerted a bacteriostatic effect against Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923 by eliciting oxidative stress, disturbing protein synthesis and enhancing cytoplasmic membrane permeability.