scholarly journals Impact of Bicarbonate-β-Lactam Exposures on Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) Gene Expression in Bicarbonate-β-Lactam-Responsive vs. Non-Responsive Strains

Genes ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 1650
Author(s):  
Selvi C. Ersoy ◽  
Blake M. Hanson ◽  
Richard A. Proctor ◽  
Cesar A. Arias ◽  
Truc T. Tran ◽  
...  

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections represent a difficult clinical treatment issue. Recently, a novel phenotype was discovered amongst selected MRSA which exhibited enhanced β-lactam susceptibility in vitro in the presence of NaHCO3 (termed ‘NaHCO3-responsiveness’). This increased β-lactam susceptibility phenotype has been verified in both ex vivo and in vivo models. Mechanistic studies to-date have implicated NaHCO3-mediated repression of genes involved in the production, as well as maturation, of the alternative penicillin-binding protein (PBP) 2a, a necessary component of MRSA β-lactam resistance. Herein, we utilized RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) to identify genes that were differentially expressed in NaHCO3-responsive (MRSA 11/11) vs. non-responsive (COL) strains, in the presence vs. absence of NaHCO3-β-lactam co-exposures. These investigations revealed that NaHCO3 selectively repressed the expression of a cadre of genes in strain 11/11 known to be a part of the sigB-sarA-agr regulon, as well as a number of genes involved in the anchoring of cell wall proteins in MRSA. Moreover, several genes related to autolysis, cell division, and cell wall biosynthesis/remodeling, were also selectively impacted by NaHCO3-OXA exposure in the NaHCO3-responsive strain MRSA 11/11. These outcomes provide an important framework for further studies to mechanistically verify the functional relevance of these genetic perturbations to the NaHCO3-responsiveness phenotype in MRSA.

Cells ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 1731
Author(s):  
Yu Maw Htwe ◽  
Huashan Wang ◽  
Patrick Belvitch ◽  
Lucille Meliton ◽  
Mounica Bandela ◽  
...  

Lung endothelial dysfunction is a key feature of acute lung injury (ALI) and clinical acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Previous studies have identified the lipid-generating enzyme, group V phospholipase A2 (gVPLA2), as a mediator of lung endothelial barrier disruption and inflammation. The current study aimed to determine the role of gVPLA2 in mediating lung endothelial responses to methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA, USA300 strain), a major cause of ALI/ARDS. In vitro studies assessed the effects of gVPLA2 inhibition on lung endothelial cell (EC) permeability after exposure to heat-killed (HK) MRSA. In vivo studies assessed the effects of intratracheal live or HK-MRSA on multiple indices of ALI in wild-type (WT) and gVPLA2-deficient (KO) mice. In vitro, HK-MRSA increased gVPLA2 expression and permeability in human lung EC. Inhibition of gVPLA2 with either the PLA2 inhibitor, LY311727, or with a specific monoclonal antibody, attenuated the barrier disruption caused by HK-MRSA. LY311727 also reduced HK-MRSA-induced permeability in mouse lung EC isolated from WT but not gVPLA2-KO mice. In vivo, live MRSA caused significantly less ALI in gVPLA2 KO mice compared to WT, findings confirmed by intravital microscopy assessment in HK-MRSA-treated mice. After targeted delivery of gVPLA2 plasmid to lung endothelium using ACE antibody-conjugated liposomes, MRSA-induced ALI was significantly increased in gVPLA2-KO mice, indicating that lung endothelial expression of gVPLA2 is critical in vivo. In summary, these results demonstrate an important role for gVPLA2 in mediating MRSA-induced lung EC permeability and ALI. Thus, gVPLA2 may represent a novel therapeutic target in ALI/ARDS caused by bacterial infection.


Pharmaceutics ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 606 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Mir ◽  
Naveed Ahmed ◽  
Andi Dian Permana ◽  
Aoife Maria Rodgers ◽  
Ryan F. Donnelly ◽  
...  

Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) induced skin infections have become a challenging problem due to the escalating antibiotic resistance. Carvacrol (CAR) has been reported to be effective against MRSA. However, due to its characteristics, CAR exhibits low skin retention. In this study, CAR was formulated into site-specific nanoparticle (NPs) delivery system using poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL), following incorporation into a hydrogel matrix to facilitate dermal delivery. The release study exhibited significantly higher release of CAR from PCL NPs in the presence of bacterial lipase, highlighting its potential for differential delivery. Moreover, encapsulation of CAR in PCL NPs resulted in a two-fold increase in its anti-MRSA activity. Dermatokinetic studies revealed that the NPs loaded hydrogel was able to enhance skin retention of CAR after 24 h (83.29 ± 3.15%), compared to free CAR-loaded hydrogel (0.85 ± 0.14%). Importantly, this novel approach exhibited effective antimicrobial activity in an ex-vivo skin infection model. Hence, these findings have proven the concept that the loading of CAR into a responsive NPs system can lead to sustained antimicrobial effect at the desired site, and may provide a novel effective approach for treatment of MRSA induced skin infections. However, further studies must be conducted to investigate in-vivo efficacy of the developed system in an appropriate infection model.


Pharmaceutics ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 1093
Author(s):  
Daniel Hassan ◽  
Calvin A. Omolo ◽  
Victoria Oluwaseun Fasiku ◽  
Ahmed A Elrashedy ◽  
Chunderika Mocktar ◽  
...  

Globally, human beings continue to be at high risk of infectious diseases caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA); and current treatments are being depleted due to antimicrobial resistance. Therefore, the synthesis and formulation of novel materials is essential for combating antimicrobial resistance. The study aimed to synthesize a quaternary bicephalic surfactant (StBAclm) and thereof to formulate pH-responsive vancomycin (VCM)-loaded quatsomes to enhance the activity of the antibiotic against MRSA. The surfactant structure was confirmed using 1H, 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS). The quatsomes were prepared using a sonication/dispersion method and were characterized using various in vitro, in vivo, and in silico techniques. The in vitro cell biocompatibility studies of the surfactant and pH-responsive vancomycin-loaded quatsomes (VCM-StBAclm-Qt1) revealed that they are biosafe. The prepared quatsomes had a mean hydrodynamic diameter (MHD), polydispersity index (PDI), and drug encapsulation efficiency (DEE) of 122.9 ± 3.78 nm, 0.169 ± 0.02 mV, and 52.22 ± 8.4%, respectively, with surface charge switching from negative to positive at pH 7.4 and pH 6.0, respectively. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM) characterization of the quatsomes showed spherical vesicles with MHD similar to the one obtained from the zeta-sizer. The in vitro drug release of VCM from the quatsomes was faster at pH 6.0 compared to pH 7.4. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the drug loaded quatsomes against MRSA was 32-fold and 8-fold lower at pH 6.0 and pH 7.4, respectively, compared to bare VCM, demonstrating the pH-responsiveness of the quatsomes and the enhanced activity of VCM at acidic pH. The drug-loaded quatsomes demonstrated higher electrical conductivity and a decrease in protein and deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) concentrations as compared to the bare drug. This confirmed greater MRSA membrane damage, compared to treatment with bare VCM. The flow cytometry study showed that the drug-loaded quatsomes had a similar bactericidal killing effect on MRSA despite a lower (8-fold) VCM concentration when compared to the bare VCM. Fluorescence microscopy revealed the ability of the drug-loaded quatsomes to eradicate MRSA biofilms. The in vivo studies in a skin infection mice model showed that groups treated with VCM-loaded quatsomes had a 13-fold decrease in MRSA CFUs when compared to the bare VCM treated groups. This study confirmed the potential of pH-responsive VCM-StBAclm quatsomes as an effective delivery system for targeted delivery and for enhancing the activity of antibiotics.


2005 ◽  
Vol 57 (1) ◽  
pp. 122-126 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katsunori Yanagihara ◽  
Miwa Tashiro ◽  
Yuichi Fukuda ◽  
Hideaki Ohno ◽  
Yasuhito Higashiyama ◽  
...  

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