METHODS: In this study, fbpA and mazE genes were chosen as new antimicrobial targets and treated with antisense peptide nucleic acid (PNA). Firstly, they were evaluated by bioinformatics and then analyzed by experimental procedures. Secondly, the functionality was evaluated by stress conditions.
RESULTS: Our results interestingly demonstrated that when fbpA and mazE loci of N. meningitidis were targeted by antisense PNA, 8 µM concentration of fbpA-PNA as well as 30 µM concentration of mazE-PNA inhibited the growth of N. meningitides and were found to be bacteriostatic, whereas 10 μM concentration of fbpA-PNA showed bacteriocidal activity.
CONCLUSION: Our findings demonstrated the bactriocidal activity of fbpA-PNA and bacteriostatic activity of mazEPNA. Therefore, mazE and fbpA genes should be potent antimicrobial targets but further analysis including in vivo analysis should be performed.
METHODS: The synthesized ZnO-CA NPs were characterized using SEM, FTIR, and XRD to validate their composition and structural features. The antioxidant activity of ZnO-CA NPs was confirmed using DPPH and ABTS free radical scavenging assays. The antimicrobial effects of ZnO-CA NPs were validated using a zone of inhibition assay against dental pathogens. Autodock tool was used to identify the interaction of cinnamic acid with dental pathogen receptors.
RESULTS: ZnO-CA NPs exhibited potent antioxidant activity in both DPPH and ABTS assays, suggesting their potential as powerful antioxidants. The minimal inhibitory concentration of ZnO-CA NPs against dental pathogens was found 25 µg/mL, indicating their effective antimicrobial properties. Further, ZnO-CA NPs showed better binding affinity and amino acid interaction with dental pathogen receptors. Also, the ZnO-CA NPs exhibited dose-dependent (5 µg/mL, 15 µg/mL, 25 µg/mL, and 50 µg/mL) anticancer activity against Human Oral Epidermal Carcinoma KB cells. The mechanism of action of apoptotic activity of ZnO-CA NPs on the KB cells was identified through the upregulation of BCL-2, BAX, and P53 genes.
CONCLUSIONS: This research establishes the potential utility of ZnO-CA NPs as a promising candidate for dental applications. The potent antioxidant, anticancer, and effective antimicrobial properties of ZnO-CA NPs make them a valuable option for combating dental pathogens.
OBJECTIVE: This study aims to investigate the virulence determinants and antimicrobial resistance in S. Brancaster isolated from chickens in Malaysia.
METHODS: One hundred strains of archived S. Brancaster isolated from chicken cloacal swabs and raw chicken meat from 2017 to 2022 were studied. Two sets of multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) were conducted to identify eight virulence genes associated with pathogenicity in Salmonella (invasion protein gene [invA], Salmonella invasion protein gene [sipB], Salmonella-induced filament gene [sifA], cytolethal-distending toxin B gene [cdtB], Salmonella iron transporter gene [sitC], Salmonella pathogenicity islands gene [spiA], Salmonella plasmid virulence gene [spvB], and inositol phosphate phosphatase gene [sopB]). Antimicrobial susceptibility assessment was conducted by disc diffusion method on nine selected antibiotics for the S. Brancaster isolates. S. Brancaster, with the phenotypic ACSSuT-resistance pattern (ampicillin, chloramphenicol, streptomycin, sulphonamides, and tetracycline), was subjected to PCR to detect the corresponding resistance gene(s).
RESULTS: Virulence genes detected in S. Brancaster in this study were invA, sitC, spiA, sipB, sopB, sifA, cdtB, and spvB. A total of 36 antibiogram patterns of S. Brancaster with a high level of multidrug resistance were observed, with ampicillin exhibiting the highest resistance. Over a third of the isolates displayed ACSSuT-resistance, and seven resistance genes (β-lactamase temoneira [blaTEM], florfenicol/chloramphenicol resistance gene [floR], streptomycin resistance gene [strA], aminoglycoside nucleotidyltransferase gene [ant(3″)-Ia], sulfonamides resistance gene [sul-1, sul-2], and tetracycline resistance gene [tetA]) were detected.
CONCLUSION: Multidrug-resistant S. Brancaster from chickens harbored an array of virulence-associated genes similar to other clinically significant and invasive non-typhoidal Salmonella serovars, placing it as another significant foodborne zoonosis.