scholarly journals Thymol Inhibits Biofilm Formation, Eliminates Pre-Existing Biofilms, and Enhances Clearance of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in a Mouse Peritoneal Implant Infection Model

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 99 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhongwei Yuan ◽  
Yuyun Dai ◽  
Ping Ouyang ◽  
Tayyab Rehman ◽  
Sajjad Hussain ◽  
...  

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a common human pathogen that causes several difficult-to-treat infections, including biofilm-associated infections. The biofilm-forming ability of S. aureus plays a pivotal role in its resistance to most currently available antibiotics, including vancomycin, which is the first-choice drug for treating MRSA infections. In this study, the ability of thymol (a monoterpenoid phenol isolated from plants) to inhibit biofilm formation and to eliminate mature biofilms, was assessed. We found that thymol could inhibit biofilm formation and remove mature biofilms by inhibiting the production of polysaccharide intracellular adhesin (PIA) and the release of extracellular DNA (eDNA). However, cotreatment with thymol and vancomycin was more effective at eliminating MRSA biofilms, in a mouse infection model, than monotherapy with vancomycin. Comparative histopathological analyses revealed that thymol reduced the pathological changes and inflammatory responses in the wounds. Assessments of white blood cell counts and serum TNF-α and IL-6 levels showed reduced inflammation and an increased immune response following treatment with thymol and vancomycin. These results indicate that combinatorial treatment with thymol and vancomycin has the potential to serve as a more effective therapy for MRSA biofilm-associated infections than vancomycin monotherapy.

Pathogens ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 1228
Author(s):  
Yomna A. Elhakim ◽  
Amal E. Ali ◽  
Alaa El-Dien M. S. Hosny ◽  
Nourtan F. Abdeltawab

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections are a global health burden with an urgent need for antimicrobial agents. Studies have shown that host immune responses limit essential metals such as zinc during infection, leading to the limitation of bacterial virulence. Thus, the deprivation of zinc as an important co-factor for the activity of many S. aureus enzymes can be a potential antimicrobial approach. However, the effect of zinc deprivation on S. aureus and MRSA is not fully understood. Therefore, the current study aimed to dissect the effects of zinc deprivation on S. aureus hemolytic activity and biofilm formation through employing biochemical and genetic approaches to study the effect of zinc deprivation on S. aureus growth and virulence. Chemically defined media (CDM) with and without ZnCl2, was used to assess the effect of zinc deprivation on growth, biofilm formation, and hemolytic activity in methicillin-susceptible S. aureus (MSSA) RN6390 and MRSA N315 strains. Zinc deprivation decreased the growth of RN6390 and N315 S. aureus strains significantly by 1.5–2 folds, respectively compared to the zinc physiological range encountered by the bacteria in the human body (7–20 µM) (p < 0.05). Zinc deprivation significantly reduced biofilm formation by 1.5 folds compared to physiological levels (p < 0.05). Moreover, the hemolytic activity of RN6390 and N315 S. aureus strains was significantly decreased by 20 and 30 percent, respectively compared to physiological zinc levels (p < 0.05). Expression of biofilm-associated transcripts levels at late stage of biofilm formation (20 h) murein hydrolase activator A (cidA) and cidB were downregulated by 3 and 5 folds, respectively (p < 0.05) suggested an effect on extracellular DNA production. Expression of hemolysins-associated genes (hld, hlb, hla) was downregulated by 3, 5, and 10 folds, respectively, in absence of zinc (p < 0.001). Collectively the current study showed that zinc deprivation in vitro affected growth, biofilm formation, and hemolytic activity of S. aureus. Our in vitro findings suggested that zinc deprivation can be a potential supportive anti-biofilm formation and antihemolytic approach to contain MRSA topical infections.


RSC Advances ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (38) ◽  
pp. 23392-23406 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sivasamy Sethupathy ◽  
Loganathan Vigneshwari ◽  
Alaguvel Valliammai ◽  
Krishnaswamy Balamurugan ◽  
Shunmugiah Karutha Pandian

In the present study, the antibiofilm, antipathogenic and anticarotenogenic potential ofl-ascorbyl 2,6-dipalmitate (ADP) against methicillin-resistantStaphylococcus aureus(MRSA) has been evaluated.


2020 ◽  
Vol 261 ◽  
pp. 113167
Author(s):  
Fernanda de Oliveira Galvão ◽  
Fabiana Gomes da Silva Dantas ◽  
Carolina Rangel de Lima Santos ◽  
Silvana Beutinger Marchioro ◽  
Claudia Andrea Lima Cardoso ◽  
...  

2016 ◽  
Vol 14 (28) ◽  
pp. 6853-6856 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew D. Stephens ◽  
Nisakorn Yodsanit ◽  
Christian Melander

A small molecule library consisting of 45 compounds was synthesized based on the bacterial metabolite ethylN-(2-phenethyl) carbamate. From this library, a more potent, broad-spectrum inhibitor of MRSA biofilm formation was discovered.


2018 ◽  
Vol 122 ◽  
pp. 162-173 ◽  
Author(s):  
Durairajan Rubini ◽  
Sanaulla Farisa Banu ◽  
Prakash Nisha ◽  
Ramar Murugan ◽  
Subbiah Thamotharan ◽  
...  

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