Displaying publications 21 - 40 of 76 in total

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  1. Raju SV, Sarkar P, Pasupuleti M, Saraswathi NT, Arasu MV, Al-Dhabi NA, et al.
    PMID: 33465517 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpc.2021.108974
    Development of antimicrobial drugs against multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria is a great focus in recent years. TG12, a short peptide molecule used in this study was screened from tachykinin (Tac) protein of an established teleost Channa striatus (Cs) transcriptome. Tachykinin cDNA has 345 coding sequence, that denotes a protein contained 115 amino acids; in which a short peptide (TG12) was identified at 83-94. Tachykinin mRNA upregulated in C. striatus treated with Aeromonas hydrophila and Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide (LPS). The mRNA up-regulation was studied using real-time PCR. The up-regulation tachykinin mRNA pattern confirmed the immune involvement of tachykinin in C. striatus during infection. Further, the identified peptide, TG12 was synthesized and its toxicity was demonstrated in hemolytic and cytotoxic assays using human erythrocytes and human dermal fibroblast cells, respectively. The toxicity study exhibited that the toxicity of TG12 was similar to negative control, phosphate buffer saline (PBS). Moreover, the antibiogram of TG12 was active against Klebsiella pneumonia ATCC 27736, a major MDR bacterial pathogen. Further, the antimicrobial activity of TG12 against pathogenic bacteria was screened using minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and anti-biofilm assays, altogether TG12 showed potential activity against K. pneumonia. Fluorescence assisted cell sorter flow cytometer analysis (FACS) and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) was carried on TG12 with K. pneumonia; the results showed that TG12 significantly reduced K. pneumonia viability as well as TG12 disrupt its membrane. In conclusion, TG12 of CsTac is potentially involved in the antibacterial immune mechanisms, which has a prospectus efficiency in pharma industry against MDR strains, especially K. pneumonia.
    Matched MeSH terms: Biofilms/drug effects*
  2. Razak FA, Musa MY, Abusin HAM, Salleh NM
    J Coll Physicians Surg Pak, 2019 Apr;29(4):387-389.
    PMID: 30925969 DOI: 10.29271/jcpsp.2019.04.387
    Application of ozone is recommended for sterilisation in dental procedures. This study explored the antimicrobial effect of 0.1 ppm ozonated-water on selected common oral commensals. Based on deviation of their growth curves pattern upon ozone treatment, the inhibitory effect of ozone was determined. SEM examination of the ozone-treated microbes recorded its possible morphological effect. Findings suggested a bacteriostatic action of ozone when microbes were treated at the early phase, while, it was bactericidal when treated during the active phase of the growth cycle. Hence, suggesting rinsing the oral cavity with ozonated-water at 0.1 ppm immediately after tooth brushing may suppress microbial growth and slow biofilm formation. While, rinsing on already developed biofilm may result in microbial cell lysis that halted microbial growth and reduce microbial population in the biofilm. Both justify the great potential of ozone (0.1 ppm) for use as antimicrobial agent for the control of biofilm development in the oral cavity.
    Matched MeSH terms: Biofilms/drug effects
  3. Chung PY
    Phytomedicine, 2020 Jul 15;73:152933.
    PMID: 31103429 DOI: 10.1016/j.phymed.2019.152933
    BACKGROUND: Staphylococcus aureus is an important pathogen both in community-acquired and healthcare-associated infections, and has successfully evolved numerous strategies for resisting the action to practically all antibiotics. Resistance to methicillin is now widely described in the community setting (CMRSA), thus the development of new drugs or alternative therapies is urgently necessary. Plants and their secondary metabolites have been a major alternative source in providing structurally diverse bioactive compounds as potential therapeutic agents for the treatment of bacterial infections. One of the classes of natural secondary metabolites from plants with the most bioactive compounds are the triterpenoids, which comprises structurally diverse organic compounds. In nature, triterpenoids are often found as tetra- or penta-cyclic structures.

    AIM: This review highlights the anti-staphylococcal activities of pentacyclic triterpenoids, particularly α-amyrin (AM), betulinic acid (BA) and betulinaldehyde (BE). These compounds are based on a 30-carbon skeleton comprising five six-membered rings (ursanes and lanostanes) or four six-membered rings and one five-membered ring (lupanes and hopanes).

    METHODS: Electronic databases such as ScienceDirect, PubMed and Scopus were used to search scientific contributions until March 2018, using relevant keywords. Literature focusing on the antimicrobial and antibiofilms of effects of pentacyclic triterpenoids on S. aureus were identified and summarized.

    RESULTS: Pentacyclic triterpenoids can be divided into three representative classes, namely ursane, lupane and oleananes. This class of compounds have been shown to exhibit analgesic, immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, antioxidant, antifungal and antibacterial activities. In studies of the antimicrobial activities and targets of AM, BA and BE in sensitive and multidrug-resistant S. aureus, these compounds acted synergistically and have different targets from the conventional antibiotics.

    CONCLUSION: The inhibitory mechanisms of S. aureus in novel targets and pathways should stimulate further researches to develop AM, BA and BE as therapeutic agents for infections caused by S. aureus. Continued efforts to identify and exploit synergistic combinations by the three compounds and peptidoglycan inhibitors, are also necessary as alternative treatment options for S. aureus infections.

    Matched MeSH terms: Biofilms/drug effects
  4. Saifullah B, Chrzastek A, Maitra A, Naeemullah B, Fakurazi S, Bhakta S, et al.
    Molecules, 2017 Oct 12;22(10).
    PMID: 29023399 DOI: 10.3390/molecules22101560
    Tuberculosis (TB) is a bacterial disease responsible for millions of infections and preventable deaths each year. Its treatment is complicated by patients' noncompliance due to dosing frequency, lengthy treatment, and adverse side effects associated with current chemotherapy. However, no modifications to the half-a-century old standard chemotherapy have been made based on a nanoformulation strategy to improve pharmacokinetic efficacy. In this study, we have designed a new nanodelivery formulation, using graphene oxide as the nanocarrier, loaded with the anti-TB antibiotic, ethambutol. The designed formulation was characterized using a number of molecular analytical techniques. It was found that sustained release of the drug resulted in better bioavailability. In addition, the designed formulation demonstrated high biocompatibility with mouse fibroblast cells. The anti-TB activity of the nanodelivery formulation was determined using whole-cell resazurin microtiter plate assay, modified-spot culture growth inhibition assay, and biofilm inhibition assay. The nanodelivery formulation showed good anti-mycobacterial activity. The anti-mycobacterial activity of Ethambutol was unaffected by the drug loading and release process. The results of this study demonstrated the potential of this new nanodelivery formulation strategy to be considered for modifying existing chemotherapy to yield more efficacious antibiotic treatment against TB.
    Matched MeSH terms: Biofilms/drug effects
  5. Chang CY, Krishnan T, Wang H, Chen Y, Yin WF, Chong YM, et al.
    Sci Rep, 2014;4:7245.
    PMID: 25430794 DOI: 10.1038/srep07245
    N-acylhomoserine lactone (AHL)-based quorum sensing (QS) is important for the regulation of proteobacterial virulence determinants. Thus, the inhibition of AHL synthases offers non-antibiotics-based therapeutic potentials against QS-mediated bacterial infections. In this work, functional AHL synthases of Pseudomonas aeruginosa LasI and RhlI were heterologously expressed in an AHL-negative Escherichia coli followed by assessments on their AHLs production using AHL biosensors and high resolution liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LCMS). These AHL-producing E. coli served as tools for screening AHL synthase inhibitors. Based on a campaign of screening synthetic molecules and natural products using our approach, three strongest inhibitors namely are salicylic acid, tannic acid and trans-cinnamaldehyde have been identified. LCMS analysis further confirmed tannic acid and trans-cinnemaldehyde efficiently inhibited AHL production by RhlI. We further demonstrated the application of trans-cinnemaldehyde inhibiting Rhl QS system regulated pyocyanin production in P. aeruginosa up to 42.06%. Molecular docking analysis suggested that trans-cinnemaldehyde binds to the LasI and EsaI with known structures mainly interacting with their substrate binding sites. Our data suggested a new class of QS-inhibiting agents from natural products targeting AHL synthase and provided a potential approach for facilitating the discovery of anti-QS signal synthesis as basis of novel anti-infective approach.
    Matched MeSH terms: Biofilms/drug effects
  6. Saifullah B, Maitra A, Chrzastek A, Naeemullah B, Fakurazi S, Bhakta S, et al.
    Molecules, 2017 Oct 12;22(10).
    PMID: 29023384 DOI: 10.3390/molecules22101697
    Tuberculosis (TB) is a dreadful bacterial disease, infecting millions of human and cattle every year worldwide. More than 50 years after its discovery, ethambutol continues to be an effective part of the World Health Organization's recommended frontline chemotherapy against TB. However, the lengthy treatment regimens consisting of a cocktail of antibiotics affect patient compliance. There is an urgent need to improve the current therapy so as to reduce treatment duration and dosing frequency. In this study, we have designed a novel anti-TB multifunctional formulation by fabricating graphene oxide with iron oxide magnetite nanoparticles serving as a nano-carrier on to which ethambutol was successfully loaded. The designed nanoformulation was characterised using various analytical techniques. The release of ethambutol from anti-TB multifunctional nanoparticles formulation was found to be sustained over a significantly longer period of time in phosphate buffer saline solution at two physiological pH (7.4 and 4.8). Furthermore, the nano-formulation showed potent anti-tubercular activity while remaining non-toxic to the eukaryotic cells tested. The results of this in vitro evaluation of the newly designed nano-formulation endorse its further development in vivo.
    Matched MeSH terms: Biofilms/drug effects
  7. Shunmugaperumal T
    Recent Pat Drug Deliv Formul, 2010 Jun;4(2):153-73.
    PMID: 20236065
    Upon implantation or insertion into patient's body for exerting the intended purpose like salvage of normal functions of vital organs, the medical devices are unfortunately becoming the sites of competition between host cell integration and microbial adhesion. Moreover, since there is an increased use of implanted medical devices, the incidence of biofilm-and medical devices-related nosocomial infections is also increasing progressively. To control microbial colonization and subsequent biofilm formation of the medical devices, different approaches either to enhance the efficiency of certain antimicrobial agents or to disrupt the basic physiology of the pathogenic microorganisms including novel small molecules and antipathogenic drugs are being explored. In addition, the various lipid-and polymer-based drug delivery carriers are also investigated for applying antibiofilm coating of the medical devices especially over catheters. The main intention of this review is therefore to summarize the major and/breakthrough inventions disclosed in patent literature as well as in research papers related to microbial colonization of medical devices and novel preventive strategies. This review starts with an overview of the preventive strategies followed by a short description about the potential of different lipidic-and polymeric-drug delivery carriers in eradicating the biofilm-associated infections from the medical devices.
    Matched MeSH terms: Biofilms/drug effects
  8. Dakheel KH, Abdul Rahim R, Neela VK, Al-Obaidi JR, Hun TG, Yusoff K
    Biomed Res Int, 2016;2016:4708425.
    PMID: 28078291 DOI: 10.1155/2016/4708425
    Twenty-five methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) isolates were characterized by staphylococcal protein A gene typing and the ability to form biofilms. The presence of exopolysaccharides, proteins, and extracellular DNA and RNA in biofilms was assessed by a dispersal assay. In addition, cell adhesion to surfaces and cell cohesion were evaluated using the packed-bead method and mechanical disruption, respectively. The predominant genotype was spa type t127 (22 out of 25 isolates); the majority of isolates were categorized as moderate biofilm producers. Twelve isolates displayed PIA-independent biofilm formation, while the remaining 13 isolates were PIA-dependent. Both groups showed strong dispersal in response to RNase and DNase digestion followed by proteinase K treatment. PIA-dependent biofilms showed variable dispersal after sodium metaperiodate treatment, whereas PIA-independent biofilms showed enhanced biofilm formation. There was no correlation between the extent of biofilm formation or biofilm components and the adhesion or cohesion abilities of the bacteria, but the efficiency of adherence to glass beads increased after biofilm depletion. In conclusion, nucleic acids and proteins formed the main components of the MRSA clone t127 biofilm matrix, and there seems to be an association between adhesion and cohesion in the biofilms tested.
    Matched MeSH terms: Biofilms/drug effects
  9. Moo CL, Yang SK, Yusoff K, Ajat M, Thomas W, Abushelaibi A, et al.
    Curr Drug Discov Technol, 2020;17(4):430-447.
    PMID: 30836923 DOI: 10.2174/1570163816666190304122219
    Antimicrobials are useful compounds intended to eradicate or stop the growth of harmful microorganisms. The sustained increase in the rates of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) worldwide is worrying and poses a major public health threat. The development of new antimicrobial agents is one of the critical approaches to overcome AMR. However, in the race towards developing alternative approaches to combat AMR, it appears that the scientific community is falling behind when pitched against the evolutionary capacity of multi-drug resistant (MDR) bacteria. Although the "pioneering strategy" of discovering completely new drugs is a rational approach, the time and effort taken are considerable, the process of drug development could instead be expedited if efforts were concentrated on enhancing the efficacy of existing antimicrobials through: combination therapies; bacteriophage therapy; antimicrobial adjuvants therapy or the application of nanotechnology. This review will briefly detail the causes and mechanisms of AMR as background, and then provide insights into a novel, future emerging or evolving strategies that are currently being evaluated and which may be developed in the future to tackle the progression of AMR.
    Matched MeSH terms: Biofilms/drug effects
  10. Ong JS, Taylor TD, Yong CC, Khoo BY, Sasidharan S, Choi SB, et al.
    Probiotics Antimicrob Proteins, 2020 03;12(1):125-137.
    PMID: 30659503 DOI: 10.1007/s12602-018-9505-9
    This study aimed to elucidate the targets and mechanisms of anti-staphylococcal effects from bioactive metabolites produced by lactic acid bacteria. We aimed to better understand the safety and efficacy of these bioactive metabolites in in vivo systems, typically at topical sites. The cell-free supernatant and protein-rich fraction from Lactobacillus plantarum USM8613 inhibited staphyloxanthin biosynthesis, reduced (p 
    Matched MeSH terms: Biofilms/drug effects
  11. Lim BY, Azmi F, Ng SF
    AAPS PharmSciTech, 2024 May 13;25(5):110.
    PMID: 38740721 DOI: 10.1208/s12249-024-02826-6
    Antimicrobial peptide LL37 is a promising antibacterial candidate due to its potent antimicrobial activity with no known bacterial resistance. However, intrinsically LL37 is susceptible to degradation in wound fluids limits its effectiveness. Bacterial toxins which are released after cell lysis are found to hinder wound healing. To address these challenges, encapsulating LL37 in microspheres (MS) and loading the MS onto activated carbon (AC)-chitosan (CS) hydrogel. This advanced wound dressing not only protects LL37 from degradation but also targets bacterial toxins, aiding in the healing of chronic wound infections. First, LL37 MS and LL37-AC-CS hydrogel were prepared and characterised in terms of physicochemical properties, drug release, and peptide-polymer compatibility. Antibacterial and antibiofilm activity, bacterial toxin elimination, cell migration, and cell cytotoxicity activities were investigated. LL37-AC-CS hydrogel was effective against Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Staphylococcus aureus. LL37-AC-CS hydrogel bound more endotoxin than AC with CS hydrogel alone. The hydrogel also induced cell migration after 72 h and showed no cytotoxicity towards NHDF after 72 h of treatment. In conclusion, the LL37-AC-CS hydrogel was shown to be a stable, non-toxic advanced wound dressing method with enhanced antimicrobial and antitoxin activity, and it can potentially be applied to chronic wound infections to accelerate wound healing.
    Matched MeSH terms: Biofilms/drug effects
  12. Santiago C, Lim KH, Loh HS, Ting KN
    Molecules, 2015 Mar 10;20(3):4473-82.
    PMID: 25764489 DOI: 10.3390/molecules20034473
    Formation of biofilms is a major factor for nosocomial infections associated with methicillin-resistance Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). This study was carried out to determine the ability of a fraction, F-10, derived from the plant Duabanga grandiflora to inhibit MRSA biofilm formation. Inhibition of biofilm production and microtiter attachment assays were employed to study the anti-biofilm activity of F-10, while latex agglutination test was performed to study the influence of F-10 on penicillin-binding protein 2a (PBP2a) level in MRSA biofilm. PBP2a is a protein that confers resistance to beta-lactam antibiotics. The results showed that, F-10 at minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC, 0.75 mg/mL) inhibited biofilm production by 66.10%; inhibited cell-surface attachment by more than 95%; and a reduced PBP2a level in the MRSA biofilm was observed. Although ampicilin was more effective in inhibiting biofilm production (MIC of 0.05 mg/mL, 84.49%) compared to F-10, the antibiotic was less effective in preventing cell-surface attachment. A higher level of PBP2a was detected in ampicillin-treated MRSA showing the development of further resistance in these colonies. This study has shown that F-10 possesses anti-biofilm activity, which can be attributed to its ability to reduce cell-surface attachment and attenuate the level of PBP2a that we postulated to play a crucial role in mediating biofilm formation.
    Matched MeSH terms: Biofilms/drug effects
  13. Karunanidhi A, Thomas R, van Belkum A, Neela V
    Biomed Res Int, 2013;2013:392058.
    PMID: 23509719 DOI: 10.1155/2013/392058
    The in vitro antibacterial and antibiofilm activity of chlorogenic acid against clinical isolates of Stenotrophomonas maltophilia was investigated through disk diffusion, minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC), time-kill and biofilm assays. A total of 9 clinical S. maltophilia isolates including one isolate resistant to trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (TMP/SMX) were tested. The inhibition zone sizes for the isolates ranged from 17 to 29 mm, while the MIC and MBC values ranged from 8 to 16  μg mL(-1) and 16 to 32  μg mL(-1). Chlorogenic acid appeared to be strongly bactericidal at 4x MIC, with a 2-log reduction in viable bacteria at 10 h. In vitro antibiofilm testing showed a 4-fold reduction in biofilm viability at 4x MIC compared to 1x MIC values (0.085 < 0.397 A 490 nm) of chlorogenic acid. The data from this study support the notion that the chlorogenic acid has promising in vitro antibacterial and antibiofilm activities against S. maltophilia.
    Matched MeSH terms: Biofilms/drug effects*
  14. Rukayadi Y, Hwang JK
    Phytother Res, 2013 Jul;27(7):1061-6.
    PMID: 22969012 DOI: 10.1002/ptr.4834
    The purpose of this study was to investigate the activity of xanthorrhizol isolated from Curcuma xanthorrhiza Roxb. on Candida albicans biofilms at adherent, intermediate, and mature phase of growth. C. albicans biofilms were formed in flat-bottom 96-well microtiter plates. The biofilms of C. albicans at different phases of development were exposed to xanthorrhizol at different concentrations (0.5 µg/mL-256 µg/mL) for 24 h. The metabolic activity of cells within the biofilms was quantified using the XTT reduction assay. Sessile minimum inhibitory concentrations (SMICs) were determined at 50% and 80% reduction in the biofilm OD₄₉₀ compared to the control wells. The SMIC₅₀ and SMIC₈₀ of xanthorrhizol against 18 C. albicans biofilms were 4--16 µg/mL and 8--32 µg/mL, respectively. The results demonstrated that the activity of xanthorrhizol in reducing C. albicans biofilms OD₄₉₀ was dependent on the concentration and the phase of growth of biofilm. Xanthorrhizol at concentration of 8 µg/mL completely reduced in biofilm referring to XTT-colorimetric readings at adherent phase, whereas 32 µg/mL of xanthorrhizol reduced 87.95% and 67.48 % of biofilm referring to XTT-colorimetric readings at intermediate and mature phases, respectively. Xanthorrhizol displayed potent activity against C. albicans biofilms in vitro and therefore might have potential therapeutic implication for biofilm-associated candidal infections.
    Matched MeSH terms: Biofilms/drug effects*
  15. Sangetha S, Zuraini Z, Suryani S, Sasidharan S
    Micron, 2009 Jun;40(4):439-43.
    PMID: 19261482 DOI: 10.1016/j.micron.2009.01.003
    The inhibitory effect of Cassia spectabilis methanol leaf extract was evaluated against biofilm forming Candida albicans, which was sensitive to 6.25 mg/ml concentration of the extract. Transmission (TEM) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) observations were used to study the anticandidal activity and prevention of biofilm formation by the C. spectabilis extract. SEM analysis further revealed reduction in C. albicans biofilm in response to the extract. The main abnormalities noted via TEM study was the alterations in morphology and complete collapse of the yeast cells after 36 h of exposure to the extract. The significant antifungal activity shown by this methanol extract of C. spectabilis suggests its potential against infections caused by C. albicans.
    Matched MeSH terms: Biofilms/drug effects*
  16. Dhabaan GN, AbuBakar S, Cerqueira GM, Al-Haroni M, Pang SP, Hassan H
    Antimicrob Agents Chemother, 2015 Dec 14;60(3):1370-6.
    PMID: 26666943 DOI: 10.1128/AAC.01696-15
    Acinetobacter baumannii has emerged as a notorious multidrug-resistant pathogen, and development of novel control measures is of the utmost importance. Understanding the factors that play a role in drug resistance may contribute to the identification of novel therapeutic targets. Pili are essential for A. baumannii adherence to and biofilm formation on abiotic surfaces as well as virulence. In the present study, we found that biofilm formation was significantly induced in an imipenem-resistant (Imp(r)) strain treated with a subinhibitory concentration of antibiotic compared to that in an untreated control and an imipenem-susceptible (Imp(s)) isolate. Using microarray and quantitative PCR analyses, we observed that several genes responsible for the synthesis of type IV pili were significantly upregulated in the Imp(r) but not in the Imp(s) isolate. Notably, this finding is corroborated by an increase in the motility of the Imp(r) strain. Our results suggest that the ability to overproduce colonization factors in response to imipenem treatment confers biological advantage to A. baumannii and may contribute to clinical success.
    Matched MeSH terms: Biofilms/drug effects
  17. Mawang CI, Lim YY, Ong KS, Muhamad A, Lee SM
    J Appl Microbiol, 2017 Nov;123(5):1148-1159.
    PMID: 28869803 DOI: 10.1111/jam.13578
    AIMS: The potential of Dicranopteris linearis leaves' extract and its bioactive components were investigated for the first time for its disrupting ability against Staphylococcus aureus biofilms.

    METHODS AND RESULTS: The leaves of D. linearis were subjected to sonication-assisted extraction using hexane (HEX), dichloromethane, ethyl acetate and methanol (MeOH). It was found that only the MeOH fraction exhibited antimicrobial activity using broth microdilution assay; while all four fractions do not exhibit biofilm inhibition activity against S. aureusATCC 6538P, S. aureusATCC 43300, S. aureusATCC 33591 and S. aureusATCC 29213 using crystal violet assay. Among the four fractions tested, only the HEX fraction showed biofilm disrupting ability, with 60-90% disruption activity at 5 mg ml-1against all four S. aureus strains tested. Bioassay-guided purification of the active fraction has led to the isolation of α-tocopherol. α-Tocopherol does not affect the cells within the biofilms but instead affects the biofilm matrix in order to disrupt S. aureus biofilms.

    CONCLUSIONS: α-Tocopherol was identified to be the bioactive component of D. linearis with disruption activity against S. aureus biofilm matrix.

    SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: The use of α-tocopherol as a biofilm disruptive agent might potentially be useful to treat biofilm-associated infections in the future.

    Matched MeSH terms: Biofilms/drug effects*
  18. Tay ST, Lim SL, Tan HW
    PMID: 25380692 DOI: 10.1186/1472-6882-14-439
    The increasing resistance of Candida yeasts towards antifungal compounds and the limited choice of therapeutic drugs have spurred great interest amongst the scientific community to search for alternative anti-Candida compounds. Mycocins and fungal metabolites have been reported to have the potential for treatment of fungal infections. In this study, the growth inhibition of Candida species by a mycocin produced by Wickerhamomyces anomalus and a lactone compound from Aureobasidium pullulans were investigated.
    Matched MeSH terms: Biofilms/drug effects
  19. Yee MS, Khiew PS, Chiu WS, Tan YF, Kok YY, Leong CO
    Colloids Surf B Biointerfaces, 2016 Dec 01;148:392-401.
    PMID: 27639489 DOI: 10.1016/j.colsurfb.2016.09.011
    Fouling of marine surfaces has been a perpetual problem ever since the days of the early sailors. The tenacious attachment of seaweed and invertebrates to man-made surfaces, notably on ship hulls, has incurred undesirable economic losses. Graphene receives great attention in the materials world for its unique combination of physical and chemical properties. Herein, we present a novel 2-step synthesis method of graphene-silver nanocomposites which bypasses the formation of graphene oxide (GO), and produces silver nanoparticles supported on graphene sheets through a mild hydrothermal reduction process. The graphene-Ag (GAg) nanocomposite combines the antimicrobial property of silver nanoparticles and the unique structure of graphene as a support material, with potent marine antifouling properties. The GAg nanocomposite was composed of micron-scaled graphene flakes with clusters of silver nanoparticles. The silver nanoparticles were estimated to be between 72 and 86nm (SEM observations) while the crystallite size of the silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) was estimated between 1 and 5nm. The nanocomposite also exhibited the SERS effect. GAg was able to inhibit Halomonas pacifica, a model biofilm-causing microbe, from forming biofilms with as little as 1.3wt.% loading of Ag. All GAg samples displayed significant biofilm inhibition property, with the sample recording the highest Ag loading (4.9wt.% Ag) associated with a biofilm inhibition of 99.6%. Moreover, GAg displayed antiproliferative effects on marine microalgae, Dunaliella tertiolecta and Isochrysis sp. and inhibited the growth of the organisms by more than 80% after 96h. The marine antifouling properties of GAg were a synergy of the biocidal AgNPs anchored on the stable yet flexible graphene sheets, providing maximum active contact surface areas to the target organisms.
    Matched MeSH terms: Biofilms/drug effects
  20. Hussain A, Ranjan A, Nandanwar N, Babbar A, Jadhav S, Ahmed N
    Antimicrob Agents Chemother, 2014 Dec;58(12):7240-9.
    PMID: 25246402 DOI: 10.1128/AAC.03320-14
    In view of the epidemiological success of CTX-M-15-producing lineages of Escherichia coli and particularly of sequence type 131 (ST131), it is of significant interest to explore its prevalence in countries such as India and to determine if antibiotic resistance, virulence, metabolic potential, and/or the genetic architecture of the ST131 isolates differ from those of non-ST131 isolates. A collection of 126 E. coli isolates comprising 43 ST131 E. coli, 40 non-ST131 E. coli, and 43 fecal E. coli isolates collected from a tertiary care hospital in India was analyzed. These isolates were subjected to enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus (ERIC)-based fingerprinting, O typing, phylogenetic grouping, antibiotic sensitivity testing, and virulence and antimicrobial resistance gene (VAG) detection. Representative isolates from this collection were also analyzed by multilocus sequence typing (MLST), conjugation, metabolic profiling, biofilm production assay, and zebra fish lethality assay. All of the 43 ST131 E. coli isolates were exclusively associated with phylogenetic group B2 (100%), while most of the clinical non-ST131 and stool non-ST131 E. coli isolates were affiliated with the B2 (38%) and A (58%) phylogenetic groups, respectively. Significantly greater proportions of ST131 isolates (58%) than non-ST131 isolates (clinical and stool E. coli isolates, 5% each) were technically identified to be extraintestinal pathogenic E. coli (ExPEC). The clinical ST131, clinical non-ST131, and stool non-ST131 E. coli isolates exhibited high rates of multidrug resistance (95%, 91%, and 91%, respectively), extended-spectrum-β-lactamase (ESBL) production (86%, 83%, and 91%, respectively), and metallo-β-lactamase (MBL) production (28%, 33%, and 0%, respectively). CTX-M-15 was strongly linked with ESBL production in ST131 isolates (93%), whereas CTX-M-15 plus TEM were present in clinical and stool non-ST131 E. coli isolates. Using MLST, we confirmed the presence of two NDM-1-positive ST131 E. coli isolates. The aggregate bioscores (metabolite utilization) for ST131, clinical non-ST131, and stool non-ST131 E. coli isolates were 53%, 52%, and 49%, respectively. The ST131 isolates were moderate biofilm producers and were more highly virulent in zebra fish than non-ST131 isolates. According to ERIC-based fingerprinting, the ST131 strains were more genetically similar, and this was subsequently followed by the genetic similarity of clinical non-ST131 and stool non-ST131 E. coli strains. In conclusion, our data provide novel insights into aspects of the fitness advantage of E. coli lineage ST131 and suggest that a number of factors are likely involved in the worldwide dissemination of and infections due to ST131 E. coli isolates.
    Matched MeSH terms: Biofilms/drug effects*
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