Antimicrobial activity of nisin against the swine pathogen Streptococcus suis and its synergistic interaction with antibiotics

Streptococcus suis serotype 2 is known to cause severe infections in pigs, including meningitis, endocarditis and pneumonia. Furthermore, this bacterium is considered an emerging zoonotic agent. Recently, increased antibiotic resistance in S. suis has been reported worldwide. The objective of this study was to evaluate the potential of nisin, a bacteriocin of the lantibiotic class, as an antibacterial agent against the pathogen S. suis serotype 2. In addition, the synergistic activity of nisin in combination with conventional antibiotics was assessed. Using a plate assay, the nisin-producing strain Lactococcus lactis ATCC 11454 proved to be capable of inhibiting the growth of S. suis (n = 18) belonging to either sequence type (ST)1, ST25, or ST28. In a microdilution broth assay, the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of purified nisin ranged between 1.25 and 5 μg/mL while the minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) was between 5 and 10 μg/mL toward S. suis. The use of a capsule-deficient mutant of S. suis indicated that the presence of this polysaccharidic structure has no marked impact on susceptibility to nisin. Following treatment of S. suis with nisin, transmission electron microscopy observations revealed lysis of bacteria resulting from breakdown of the cell membrane. A time-killing curve showed a rapid bactericidal activity of nisin. Lastly, synergistic effects of nisin were observed in combination with several antibiotics, including penicillin, amoxicillin, tetracycline, streptomycin and ceftiofur. This study brought clear evidence supporting the potential of nisin for the prevention and treatment of S. suis infections in pigs.     

果蝇防御素在毕赤酵母中的表达及活性检测

抗菌肽是昆虫感染细菌后,由血细胞及脂肪细胞在瞬时分泌的抗菌物质。具有广谱抗菌活性和抑杀耐药菌株等优点。抗菌肽不仅抗菌谱广,而且对某些真菌、原虫、病毒及肿瘤有一定的杀灭和抑制作用,还能加速免疫和伤口愈合过程。防御素是一类在自然界中广泛存在的、具有微生物抗性的小分子抗菌肽。利用PCR技术,以果蝇总DNA为模板,扩增出两端加入了连接接头的防御素基因,将接头处理成粘性末端,将防御素基因与分泌型酵母表达载体pHBM905B重组,构建重组酵母表达载体pHBM905B/defensin,经"三明治"夹心平板筛选及菌落PCR鉴定证明目的基因已整合入酵母染色体中。挑选阳性克隆经甲醇诱导表达,以SDS-PAGE电泳对表达产物进行分析,证明表达蛋白的相对分子量约为10kD,与预期结果一致。用琼脂糖扩散法检测上清液的生物学活性,可以观察到明显的抑菌圈,显示其具有较强的抗菌活性。同时表达产物有极强的热稳定性,展示了诱人的应用前景,为进一步的开发研究奠定了基础。     

Dimerization of plant defensin NaD1 enhances its antifungal activity

The plant defensin, NaD1, from the flowers of Nicotiana alata, is a member of a family of cationic peptides that displays growth inhibitory activity against several filamentous fungi, including Fusarium oxysporum. The antifungal activity of NaD1 has been attributed to its ability to permeabilize membranes; however, the molecular basis of this function remains poorly defined. In this study, we have solved the structure of NaD1 from two crystal forms to high resolution (1.4 and 1.58 Å, respectively), both of which contain NaD1 in a dimeric configuration. Using protein cross-linking experiments as well as small angle x-ray scattering analysis and analytical ultracentrifugation, we show that NaD1 forms dimers in solution. The structural studies identified Lys⁴ as critical in formation of the NaD1 dimer. This was confirmed by site-directed mutagenesis of Lys⁴ that resulted in substantially reduced dimer formation. Significantly, the reduced ability of the Lys⁴ mutant to dimerize correlated with diminished antifungal activity. These data demonstrate the importance of dimerization in NaD1 function and have implications for the use of defensins in agribiotechnology applications such as enhancing plant crop protection against fungal pathogens.     

太平洋牡蛎防御素在毕赤酵母中的重组表达及其抑菌活性

防御素是一类富含精氨酸和半胱氨酸的内源性阳离子抗菌肽,是软体动物抵御各种病原微生物侵染的重要免疫因子。太平洋牡蛎防御素(Crassostrea gigas defensin,CgD)近羧基端的43个氨基酸残基构成了其成熟肽区域,决定了CgD的生物学活性。首先通过逆转录PCR和设计特异性引物从太平洋牡蛎外套膜中分离并扩增到3?端添加和不添加6×His标签的两种目的基因CgDH~+和CgDH–;与pPICZαA连接后构建的重组表达载体(pPICZαA-CgDH~+和pPICZαA-CgDH–)电转至毕赤酵母Pichia pastoris X-33中,使用1.0%甲醇诱导表达目的蛋白CgDH~+和CgDH–,最适培养条件为29℃、250 r/min、72 h;通过固化金属离子亲和层析(IMAC)获得分子量为5.78 kDa的纯化的重组蛋白CgDH~+,根据其蛋白质浓度推算表达量为2.32 mg/L。经MALDI-TOF-TOF质谱分析证明纯化产物即为预期的目的蛋白。抑菌试验结果显示分别含重组蛋白CgDH~+和重组蛋白CgDH–的培养液上清对金黄色葡萄球菌Staphylococcus aureus和铜绿假单孢菌Pseudomonas aeruginosa都具有抑菌活性,表明重组蛋白中6×His标签的存在与否并不影响其生物学活性。     

Synergistic activity of coriander oil and conventional antibiotics against Acinetobacter baumannii

In this study we investigated the existence of synergistic antibacterial effect between coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.) essential oil and six different antibacterial drugs (cefoperazone, chloramphenicol, ciprofloxacin, gentamicin, tetracycline and piperacillin). The antibacterial activity of coriander oil was assessed using microdilution susceptibility testing and synergistic interaction by checkerboard assays. The association of coriander essential oil with chloramphenicol, ciprofloxacin, gentamicin and tetracycline against Acinetobacter baumannii showed in vitro effectiveness, which is an indicator of a possible synergistic interaction against two reference strains of A. baumannii (LMG 1025 and LMG 1041) (FIC index from 0.047 to 0.375). However, when tested the involvement between coriander essential oil and piperacillin or cefoperazone, the isobolograms and FIC index showed an additive interaction. The in vitro interaction could improve the antimicrobial effectiveness of ciprofloxacin, gentamicin and tetracycline and may contribute to resensitize A. baumannii to the action of chloramphenicol.     

Therapeutic effect of some antibiotics on experimental staphylococcal infection and its correlation with in vitro activity of antibiotics in sub-inhibitory concentration against Staphylococcus aureus strains

The aim of the study was to demonstrate of whether the therapeutic effects of antibiotics depend on their in vitro activity in sub-inhibitory concentrations against staphylococci. Cloxacillin, gentamicin and lincomycin were used in the study. Groups of S. aureus strains, containing 6 strains with similar MIC values each but different sensitivity to sub-inhibitory antibiotic concentrations (sub-MIC) were selected (a total of 36 trains): i. strains increasing their sensitivity to phagocytosis and bactericidal activity of rabbit leukocytes after incubation with an antibiotic in 0.1 MIC concentration, ii. strains with sensitivity to the above factors unaffected by incubation with an antibiotic in 0.5 MIC concentration. The doses of staphylococci causing death of 90-100% of Swiss albino mice 10 days after i.p. infection were determined. The injected doses (LD 90-100) and various doses of antibiotics were used to determine ED50 values as well as the survival rate of the mice with experimental staphylococcal infections after treatment with these antibiotics. It was demonstrated that effective doses (ED 50) of the antiboitics were significantly lower when the antibiotics were administered once to mice infected with strains S. aureus sensitive to sub-MIC concentrations of the investigated antibiotics than for mice infected with strains resistant to their sub-MIC concentrations. Similar correlations were observed in mice which were given the antibiotics several times (for 7 days): the percentage of the surviving mice was higher in the group infected with sub-MIC sensitive strains. The therapeutic effect of cloxacillin, gentamicin and lincomycin demonstrated a significant correlation with the S. aureus strains used to induce the infections and their sensitivity, or lack of sensitivity in vitro, to phagocytosis and bactericdal activity of leukocytes in the presence of antibiotics in sub-MIC concentrations.     

In vitro and in vivo activity of antimicrobial peptides synthesized based on the insect defensin

Synthetic antimicrobial 9-mer peptides were designed from the amino acid sequence of an active site of insect defensin to increase the number of positively charged amino acid residues. These peptides, RLRLRIGRR-NH2, RLLLRIGRR-NH2 and RLYLRIGRR-NH2, showed strong antimicrobial activity against bacteria and fungus. These peptides showed no growth inhibition activity against murine fibroblasts or macrophages and no hemolytic activity against rabbit erythrocytes in vitro. Furthermore, the administration of these peptides protected mice from a lethal methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) challenge. In addition, these peptides suppressed tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) gene expression and production induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or lipoteichoic acid (LTA) in murine macrophages.     

Time-kill study and synergistic activity of cell-wall inhibitor antibiotics in combination with gentamicin against Enterococcus faecalis and Enterococcus faecium

The synergy between gentamicin and vancomycin, teicoplanin, ampicillin and linezolid was studied by time-kill method. Two clinical vancomycin resistant enterococci (VRE) and two vancomycin susceptible enterococci (VSE) isolates were used. Different concentrations of antibiotics were combined. Two VSE strains and the control strain exhibited synergism with the combination of gentamicin, vancomycin, teicoplanin, ampicillin and linezolid. Two VRE strains exhibited synergism with the combination of gentamicin and ampicillin. Synergy between gentamicin and vancomycin, teicoplanin and linezolid was not observed against these isolates. The VRE isolates were positive for vanA, aac (6')-Ie aph (2") and aph (3')-IIIa genes and their vancomycin, teicoplanin and gentamicin MICs were 512 μg/ml, 512 μg/ml and >4000 μg/ml, respectively. In order to treat serious enterococcal infections, further clinical evaluation is needed to examine the in vitro combined effects of gentamicin and vancomycin, teicoplanin and linezolid.     

In vitro PYOCIN activity ofPseudomonas aeruginosa strains pretreated with antibiotics

Fifty-six selected strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa belonging to 8 different pyocin types (H, I, 15, 6, PTI-1, PTI-2, PTI-3, PTI-4) were treated with subinhibitory concentrations (MIC/2) of either gentamicin or carbenicillin. Both treatments induced changes in pyocin patterns for all types but at different levels. The percentage of strains that retained their pyocin pattern were more or less equal in both treatments. In treated and untreated producers, the growth inhibition ability for 5 different strains of Enterobacteriaceae (Escherichia coli K12, E. coli EB, Proteus vulgaris, Salmonella typhi, Shigella flexneri) was also investigated. In all pyocin patterns the number of producers that inhibit the growth of these strains was lower after treatment with gentamicin or with carbenicillin, a smaller decrease was detected in the latter treatment. It appeared that the subinhibitory concentrations of these antibiotics are capable of protecting the Enterobacteriaceae strains from the action of the pyocins.     

Antibacterial activity and mechanism of a scorpion venom peptide derivative in vitro and in vivo

BmKn2 is an antimicrobial peptide (AMP) characterized from the venom of scorpion Mesobuthus martensii Karsch by our group. In this study, Kn2-7 was derived from BmKn2 to improve the antibacterial activity and decrease hemolytic activity. Kn2-7 showed increased inhibitory activity against both gram-positive bacteria and gram-negative bacteria. Moreover, Kn2-7 exhibited higher antibacterial activity against clinical antibiotic-resistant strains such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). In addition, the topical use of Kn2-7 effectively protected the skin of mice from infection in an S. aureus mouse skin infection model. Kn2-7 exerted its antibacterial activity via a bactericidal mechanism. Kn2-7 killed S. aureus and E. coli rapidly by binding to the lipoteichoic acid (LTA) in the S. aureus cell wall and the lipopolysaccharides (LPS) in the E. coli cell wall, respectively. Finally, the hemolytic activity of Kn2-7 was significantly decreased, compared to the wild-type peptide BmKn2. Taken together, the Kn2-7 peptide can be developed as a topical therapeutic agent for treating bacterial infections.     

Evaluation of the antioxidant activity of tetracycline antibiotics in vitro

Tetracyclines are the second most common antibiotic family in medicine usage. These antibiotics exhibit antioxidant potential; however, the exact mechanism remains unclear. The antiradical activity of the seven tetracyclines (TCs; tetracycline, chlortetracycline, oxytetracycline, doxocycline, methacycline, demeclocycline, minocycline) was determined using the free radical 2,2‐diphenyl‐1‐picrylhydrazyl (DPPH^?) and hydroxyl radicals (HO^?) generated in a Fenton reaction. Electron spin resonance (ESR), ESR spin‐trapping, chemiluminescence and spectrophotometry techniques were applied. It was found that the TCs showed high DPPH antiradical activity in the range 26–96% at 2.5 mmol/L concentration. The second‐order rate constants for the reaction between HO^? and TCs were calculated, in the range (3.6–9.6) × 10⁹ L/mol/s. The tetracycline compounds also exhibited a strong decrease in light emission (range 61–85% at concentration of 1 mmol/L). This study also showed that TCs promote the generation of singlet oxygen in the presence of and Fe(II)/Fe(III) ions. Our findings suggest direct scavenging activity of the examined tetracyclines towards free radicals, and may be relevant to therapeutic strategy. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Expression and purification of the BmK Mm2 neurotoxin from the scorpion Buthus martensii Karsch and its biological activity test

The gene encoding neurotoxin (BmK Mm2) from the scorpion Buthus martensii Karsch was expressed in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3) at a level of 1.6 mg/L using expression plasmid pExSecI system. SDS-PAGE analysis of the cell lysate confirmed that gene BmK Mm2 was expressed in soluble form and the expressed production was secreted into Luria-Bertani (LB) culture medium from Escherichia coli. According to the characters of pExSecI expression system, the IgG binding domain-ZZ of Protein A is fused to the N-terminal of BmK Mm2. Recombinant BmK Mm2 (ZZ-BmK Mm2, pI 6.81, 22.007 kDa) was purified rapidly and efficiently by IgG-Sepharose 6 Fast Flow and Superdex-75 gel filtration chromatography, produced a single band on SDS-PAGE. Western blot analysis demonstrated that this protein was recombinant BmK Mm2. The results of MTT assay, morphological observation of nucleus and single cell gel electrophoresis showed that the expressed recombinant BmK Mm2 was toxic for glial cells of mice, which indicate that it has biological activity.     

Expression and purification of exendin-4 dimer in Escherichia coli and its interaction with GLP-1 receptor in vitro

Exendin-4 is a 39 amino acid peptide isolated from the Gila monster salivary gland. It is 53% homologous to GLP-1 and exhibits similar glucoregulatory activities. In this study, exendin-4 dimer (D-Ex4) was constructed, cloned into plasmid pET32a(+) and expressed in E. coli BL21(DE3). The fusion protein with His-tag at the N-terminus was purified with a Ni-NTA-agarose column. After proteolytic cleavage, D-Ex4 peptide with high purity was obtained by HPLC. The results obtained by chemical cross-linking showed that D-Ex4 maintained affinity to GLP-1 receptor.     

穿心莲内酯抗铜绿假单胞菌生物被膜及与阿奇霉素协同抗菌作用

目的研究穿心莲内酯抗铜绿假单胞菌生物被膜及与阿奇霉素协同抗菌作用。方法微量倍比稀释法测定穿心莲内酯对铜绿假单胞菌的最小抑菌浓度（MIC）,棋盘稀释法测定穿心莲内酯和阿奇霉素协同抗菌作用,MTT法测定穿心莲内酯对铜绿假单胞菌生物被膜的最小抑膜浓度（SMIC）,显微镜下观察药物对生物膜形态的影响。结果穿心莲内酯对铜绿假单胞菌的MIC 50μg/mL,和阿奇霉素有协同抗菌作用。穿心莲内酯对铜绿假单胞菌生物被膜的SMIC501天25μg/mL、3天25μg/mL、7天50μg/mL;SMIC801天50μg/mL、3天50μg/mL、7天100μg/mL,形态观察提示穿心莲内酯SMIC80浓度对铜绿假单胞菌生物被膜的抑制作用明显。结论穿心莲内酯具有抗铜绿假单胞菌生物被膜作用,对阿奇霉素也有协同抗菌作用。     

Simulating cellular galectin networks by mixing galectins in vitro reveals synergistic activity

BackgroundEven though members of the family of adhesion/growth-regulatory galectins are increasingly detected to be co-expressed, they are still being routinely tested separately. The recent discovery of heterodimer formation among galectins-1, -3, and -7 in mixtures prompts further study of their functional activities in mixtures.MethodsCell agglutination, galectin binding to cells, as well as effects on cell proliferation, onset of apoptosis and migration were determined in assays using various cell types and mixtures of galectins-1, -3, and -7.ResultsEvidence for a more than additive increases of experimental parameters was consistently obtained.ConclusionTesting galectins in mixtures simulates the situation of co-expression in situ and reveals unsuspected over-additive activities. This new insight is relevant for analyzing galectin functionality in (patho)physiological conditions.     

In vitro synergistic activity of diketopiperazines alone and in combination with amphotericin B or clotrimazole against Candida albicans

The synergistic anticandidal activity of three diketopiperazines [cyclo-(l-Pro-l-Leu) (1), cyclo-(d-Pro-l-Leu) (2), and cyclo-(d-Pro-l-Tyr) (3)] purified from a Bacillus sp. N strain associated with entomopathogenic nematode Rhabditis (Oscheius) in combination with amphotericin B and clotrimazole was investigated using the macrodilution method. The minimum inhibitory concentration and minimum fungicidal concentration of the diketopiperazines was compared with that of the standard antibiotics. The synergistic anticandidal activities of diketopiperazines with amphotericin B or clotrimazole were assessed using the checkerboard and time-kill methods. The results of the present study showed that the combined effects of diketopiperazines with amphotericin B or clotrimazole predominantly recorded synergistic (<0.5). Time-kill study showed that the growth of the Candida was completely attenuated after 12–24 h of treatment with 50:50 ratios of diketopiperazines and antibiotics. These results suggest that diketopiperazines combined with antibiotics may be microbiologically beneficial and not antagonistic. These findings have potential implications in delaying the development of resistance as the anticandidal effect is achieved with lower concentrations of both drugs (diketopiperazines and antibiotics). The cytotoxicity of diketopiperazines was also tested against two normal human cell lines (L231 lung epithelial and FS normal fibroblast) and no cytotoxicity was recorded for diketopiperazines up to 200 μg/mL. The in vitro synergistic activity of diketopiperazines with antibiotics against Candida albicans is reported here for the first time.     

In vitro activity of beta-lactam antibiotics and their sensitivity to beta-lactamase

beta-lactamase production was evaluated by chromogenic cephalosporin 87/312 in 116 E. coli isolated from clinical sources. Such test revealed beta-lactamase production in 54 strains out of 116 (46%): MICs of eight beta-lactam antibiotics (Ampicillin, Piperacillin, Cefazoline, Cephaloridine, Cephalexine, Cefuroxime, Cefotaxime, Cefotaxime) were determined using a miniaturized dilution broth method. Cefotaxime and Ceftriaxome and Ceftriaxone showed the highest antibacterial activity. All beta-lactamases produced by E. coli strains under examination were isolated and purified by ultrasonic disruption and high speed centrifugation. Sensitivity of the eight antibiotics to purified beta-lactamases was assessed by a spectrophotometric method that utilizes the velocity of cytochrome c reduction. The sensitivity to beta-lactamases was reflected in the in vitro activity of the antibiotics as assessed by the determination of the MICs.