scholarly journals Microbial Efflux Systems and Inhibitors: Approaches to Drug Discovery and the Challenge of Clinical Implementation

2013 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 34-52 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christina Kourtesi ◽  
Anthony R Ball ◽  
Ying-Ying Huang ◽  
Sanjay M Jachak ◽  
D Mariano A Vera ◽  
...  

Conventional antimicrobials are increasingly ineffective due to the emergence of multidrug-resistance among pathogenic microorganisms. The need to overcome these deficiencies has triggered exploration for novel and unconventional approaches to controlling microbial infections. Multidrug efflux systems (MES) have been a profound obstacle in the successful deployment of antimicrobials. The discovery of small molecule efflux system blockers has been an active and rapidly expanding research discipline. A major theme in this platform involves efflux pump inhibitors (EPIs) from natural sources. The discovery methodologies and the available number of natural EPI-chemotypes are increasing. Advances in our understanding of microbial physiology have shed light on a series of pathways and phenotypes where the role of efflux systems is pivotal. Complementing existing antimicrobial discovery platforms such as photodynamic therapy (PDT) with efflux inhibition is a subject under investigation. This core information is a stepping stone in the challenge of highlighting an effective drug development path for EPIs since the puzzle of clinical implementation remains unsolved. This review summarizes advances in the path of EPI discovery, discusses potential avenues of EPI implementation and development, and underlines the need for highly informative and comprehensive translational approaches.

1998 ◽  
Vol 180 (11) ◽  
pp. 2987-2991 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xian-Zhi Li ◽  
Li Zhang ◽  
Keith Poole

ABSTRACT Multidrug efflux pumps with a broad substrate specificity make a major contribution to intrinsic and acquired multiple antibiotic resistance in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Using genetically defined efflux pump mutants, we investigated the involvement of the three known efflux systems, MexA-MexB-OprM, MexC-MexD-OprJ, and MexE-MexF-OprN, in organic solvent tolerance in this organism. Our results showed that all three systems are capable of providing some level of tolerance to organic solvents such as n-hexane andp-xylene. Expression of MexAB-OprM was correlated with the highest levels of tolerance, and indeed, this efflux system was a major contributor to the intrinsic solvent tolerance of P. aeruginosa. Intrinsic organic solvent tolerance was compromised by a protonophore, indicating that it is substantially energy dependent. These data suggest that the efflux of organic solvents is a factor in the tolerance of P. aeruginosa to these compounds and that the multidrug efflux systems of this organism can accommodate organic solvents, as well as antibiotics.


2008 ◽  
Vol 74 (6) ◽  
pp. 1932-1935 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chelsea J. Papadopoulos ◽  
Christine F. Carson ◽  
Barbara J. Chang ◽  
Thomas V. Riley

ABSTRACT Using a series of efflux mutants of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, the MexAB-OprM pump was identified as contributing to this organism's tolerance to the antimicrobial agent tea tree (Melaleuca alternifolia) oil and its monoterpene components terpinen-4-ol, 1,8-cineole, and α-terpineol. These data show that a multidrug efflux system of P. aeruginosa can extrude monoterpenes and related alcohols.


2010 ◽  
Vol 54 (8) ◽  
pp. 3113-3120 ◽  
Author(s):  
Takehiko Mima ◽  
Herbert P. Schweizer

ABSTRACT Most Burkholderia pseudomallei strains are intrinsically aminoglycoside resistant, mainly due to AmrAB-OprA-mediated efflux. Rare naturally occurring or genetically engineered mutants lacking this pump are aminoglycoside susceptible despite the fact that they also encode and express BpeAB-OprB, which was reported to mediate efflux of aminoglycosides in the Singapore strain KHW. To reassess the role of BpeAB-OprB in B. pseudomallei aminoglycoside resistance, we used mutants overexpressing or lacking this pump in either AmrAB-OprA-proficient or -deficient strain 1026b backgrounds. Our data show that BpeAB-OprB does not mediate efflux of aminoglycosides but is a multidrug efflux system which extrudes macrolides, fluoroquinolones, tetracyclines, acriflavine, and, to a lesser extent, chloramphenicol. Phylogenetically, BpeAB-OprB is closely related to Pseudomonas aeruginosa MexAB-OprM, which has a similar substrate spectrum. AmrAB-OprA is most closely related to MexXY, the only P. aeruginosa efflux pump known to extrude aminoglycosides. Since BpeAB-OprB in strain KHW was also implicated in playing a major role in export of acylated homoserine lactone (AHL) quorum-sensing molecules and in expression of diverse virulence factors, we explored whether this was also true in the strain 1026b background. The results showed that BpeAB-OprB was not required for AHL export, and mutants lacking this efflux system exhibited normal swimming motility and siderophore production, which were severely impaired in KHW bpeAB-oprB mutants. Biofilm formation was impaired in 1026b Δ(amrRAB-oprA) and Δ(amrRAB-oprA) Δ(bpeAB-oprB) mutants. At present, we do not know why our BpeAB-OprB susceptibility and virulence factor expression results with 1026b and its derivatives are different from those previously published for Singapore strain KHW.


2018 ◽  
Vol 62 (11) ◽  
Author(s):  
Raees A. Paul ◽  
Shivaprakash M. Rudramurthy ◽  
Manpreet Dhaliwal ◽  
Pankaj Singh ◽  
Anup K. Ghosh ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT The magnitude of azole resistance in Aspergillus flavus and its underlying mechanism is obscure. We evaluated the frequency of azole resistance in a collection of clinical (n = 121) and environmental isolates (n = 68) of A. flavus by the broth microdilution method. Six (5%) clinical isolates displayed voriconazole MIC greater than the epidemiological cutoff value. Two of these isolates with non-wild-type MIC were isolated from same patient and were genetically distinct, which was confirmed by amplified fragment length polymorphism analysis. Mutations associated with azole resistance were not present in the lanosterol 14-α demethylase coding genes (cyp51A, cyp51B, and cyp51C). Basal and voriconazole-induced expression of cyp51A homologs and various efflux pump genes was analyzed in three each of non-wild-type and wild-type isolates. All of the efflux pump genes screened showed low basal expression irrespective of the azole susceptibility of the isolate. However, the non-wild-type isolates demonstrated heterogeneous overexpression of many efflux pumps and the target enzyme coding genes in response to induction with voriconazole (1 μg/ml). The most distinctive observation was approximately 8- to 9-fold voriconazole-induced overexpression of an ortholog of the Candida albicans ATP binding cassette (ABC) multidrug efflux transporter, Cdr1, in two non-wild-type isolates compared to those in the reference strain A. flavus ATCC 204304 and other wild-type strains. Although the dominant marker of azole resistance in A. flavus is still elusive, the current study proposes the possible role of multidrug efflux pumps, especially that of Cdr1B overexpression, in contributing azole resistance in A. flavus.


2010 ◽  
Vol 54 (9) ◽  
pp. 3770-3775 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jürgen A. Bohnert ◽  
Brian Karamian ◽  
Hiroshi Nikaido

ABSTRACT AcrAB-TolC is the major constitutively expressed efflux pump system that provides resistance to a variety of antimicrobial agents and dyes in Escherichia coli. However, no systematically optimized real-time dye efflux assay has been published for the measurement of its activity and for detection of possible competition between substrates. Here, we report on the development of such an assay using a lipophilic dye, Nile Red. Energy-depleted cells were loaded with the dye in the presence of low (10 μM or less) concentrations of the proton conductor carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone (CCCP). The CCCP was then removed, and efflux was triggered by energization with glucose. Various known efflux pump inhibitors and antimicrobials were checked for the ability to slow down Nile Red efflux, presumably through competition. Besides the known inhibitors Phe-Arg-β-naphthylamide and 1-naphthyl-methylpiperazine, several tetracyclic compounds (doxorubicin, minocycline, chlortetracycline, doxycycline, and tetracycline) and tetraphenylphosphonium chloride were found to interfere with dye efflux. This inhibition could not be explained by the depletion of proton motive force. None of the other tested antimicrobials, including macrolides, fluoroquinolones, and β-lactams, had any impact on Nile Red efflux, even at concentrations of up to 1 mM.


Author(s):  
Khac-Minh Thai ◽  
Trong-Nhat Do ◽  
Thuy-Viet-Phuong Nguyen ◽  
Duc-Khanh-Tho. Nguyen ◽  
Thanh-Dao Tran

Antimicrobial drug resistance occurs when bacteria undergo certain modifications to eliminate the effectiveness of drugs, chemicals, or other agents designed to cure infections. To date, the burden of resistance has remained one of the major clinical concerns as it renders prolonged and complicated treatments, thereby increasing the medical costs with lengthier hospital stays. Of complex causes for bacterial resistance, there has been increasing evidence that proved the significant role of efflux pumps in antibiotic resistance. Coadministration of Efflux Pump Inhibitors (EPIs) with antibiotics has been considered one of the promising ways not only to improve the efficacy but also to extend the clinical utility of existing antibiotics. This chapter begins with outlining current knowledge about bacterial efflux pumps and drug designs applied in identification of their modulating compounds. Following, the chapter addresses and provides a discussion on Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationship (QSAR) analyses in search of novel and potent efflux pump inhibitors.


1998 ◽  
Vol 42 (1) ◽  
pp. 65-71 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ramakrishnan Srikumar ◽  
Tatiana Kon ◽  
Naomasa Gotoh ◽  
Keith Poole

ABSTRACT The mexCD-oprJ and mexAB-oprM operons encode components of two distinct multidrug efflux pumps inPseudomonas aeruginosa. To assess the contribution of individual components to antibiotic resistance and substrate specificity, these operons and their component genes were cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. Western immunoblotting confirmed expression of the P. aeruginosa efflux pump components in E. coli strains expressing and deficient in the endogenous multidrug efflux system (AcrAB), although only the ΔacrAB strain, KZM120, demonstrated increased resistance to antibiotics in the presence of the P. aeruginosa efflux genes. E. coli KZM120 expressing MexAB-OprM showed increased resistance to quinolones, chloramphenicol, erythromycin, azithromycin, sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), crystal violet, novobiocin, and, significantly, several β-lactams, which is reminiscent of the operation of this pump in P. aeruginosa. This confirmed previous suggestions that MexAB-OprM provides a direct contribution to β-lactam resistance via the efflux of this group of antibiotics. An increase in antibiotic resistance, however, was not observed when MexAB or OprM alone was expressed in KZM120. Thus, despite the fact that β-lactams act within the periplasm, OprM alone is insufficient to provide resistance to these agents. E. coli KZM120 expressing MexCD-OprJ also showed increased resistance to quinolones, chloramphenicol, macrolides, SDS, and crystal violet, though not to most β-lactams or novobiocin, again somewhat reminiscent of the antibiotic resistance profile of MexCD-OprJ-expressing strains ofP. aeruginosa. Surprisingly, E. coli KZM120 expressing MexCD alone also showed an increase in resistance to these agents, while an OprJ-expressing KZM120 failed to demonstrate any increase in antibiotic resistance. MexCD-mediated resistance, however, was absent in a tolC mutant of KZM120, indicating that MexCD functions in KZM120 in conjunction with TolC, the previously identified outer membrane component of the AcrAB-TolC efflux system. These data confirm that a tripartite efflux pump is necessary for the efflux of all substrate antibiotics and that the P. aeruginosa multidrug efflux pumps are functional and retain their substrate specificity in E. coli.


2001 ◽  
Vol 183 (18) ◽  
pp. 5213-5222 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thilo Köhler ◽  
Christian van Delden ◽  
Lasta Kocjancic Curty ◽  
Mehri Michea Hamzehpour ◽  
Jean-Claude Pechere

ABSTRACT Intrinsic and acquired antibiotic resistance of the nosocomial pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa is mediated mainly by the expression of several efflux pumps of broad substrate specificity. Here we report that nfxC type mutants, overexpressing the MexEF-OprN efflux system, produce lower levels of extracellular virulence factors than the susceptible wild type. These include pyocyanin, elastase, and rhamnolipids, three factors controlled by the las and rhl quorum-sensing systems of P. aeruginosa. In agreement with these observations are the decreased transcription of the elastase genelasB and the rhamnosyltransferase genesrhlAB measured in nfxC type mutants. Expression of the lasR and rhlR regulator genes was not affected in the nfxC type mutant. In contrast, transcription of the C4-homoserine lactone (C4-HSL) autoinducer synthase gene rhlI was reduced by 50% in the nfxC type mutant relative to that in the wild type. This correlates with a similar decrease in C4-HSL levels detected in supernatants of the nfxC type mutant. Transcription of an rhlAB-lacZ fusion could be partially restored by the addition of synthetic C4-HSL andPseudomonas quinolone signal (PQS). It is proposed that the MexEF-OprN efflux pump affects intracellular PQS levels.


2008 ◽  
Vol 52 (4) ◽  
pp. 1559-1563 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mathieu Hernould ◽  
Séverine Gagné ◽  
Michel Fournier ◽  
Claudine Quentin ◽  
Corinne Arpin

ABSTRACT Gene inactivation and complementation experiments showed that the tripartite AheABC efflux pump of Aeromonas hydrophila extruded at least 13 substrates, including nine antibiotics. The use of phenylalanine-arginine-β-naphthylamide (PAβN) revealed an additional system(s) contributing to intrinsic resistance. This is the first analysis of the role of multidrug efflux systems in Aeromonas spp.


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