Effects of synthesized iron oxide nanoparticles from Ziziphora clinopodioides on expression of the efflux pump genes of Staphylococcus aureus

Introduction: One of the important factors causing nosocomial infections is drug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strain, so correspondingly, having norA efflux pump is one of the bacterial's ability to generate drug resistance. Iron has been used as a nanoparticle with antimicrobial activity against bacteria. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of iron oxide nanoparticles synthesized from ziziphora plant extract on Staphylococcus aureus efflux pump genes expression. Materials and Methods: green iron nanoparticles were formed using ethanolic extract of ziziphora plant and iron salt solution and identified by SEM and TEM electron microscopy. The Staphylococcus aureus strains were collected and isolated from hospitals and laboratories in Tehran. Considerably, Antimicrobial activity of green nanoparticles against strains was investigated. DNA and RNA and cDNA were extracted and the relative expression of norA gene in Staphylococcus aureus isolates was evaluated by Real-time PCR method. Results: Different strains, under the influence of iron nanoparticles, showed different expression changes That were statistically significant compared to gmk gene expression (P<0.05). The level of norA gene expression in different strains showed a significant decrease, which indicates the anti-pumping activity of efflux pump plant extract. Conclusion: the iron oxide nanoparticles synthesized from ziziphora plant extract act as an inhibitor of efflux pump in Staphylococcus aureus isolates and have potential for use in pharmaceutical and biological industry.