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O'Leary MK, Sundaram V, LiPuma JJ, Dörr T, Westblade LF, Alabi CA. Mechanism of Action and Resistance Evasion of an Antimicrobial Oligomer against Multidrug-Resistant Gram-Negative Bacteria. ACS APPLIED BIO MATERIALS 2022; 5:1159-1168. [PMID: 35167257 DOI: 10.1021/acsabm.1c01217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The last resort for treating multidrug-resistant (MDR) Pseudomonas aeruginosa and other MDR Gram-negative bacteria is a class of antibiotics called the polymyxins; however, polymyxin-resistant isolates have emerged. In response, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) and their synthetic mimetics have been investigated as alternative therapeutic options. Oligothioetheramides (oligoTEAs) are a class of synthetic, sequence-defined oligomers composed of N-allylacrylamide monomers and an abiotic dithiol backbone that is resistant to serum degradation. Characteristic of other AMP mimetics, the precise balance between charge and hydrophobicity has afforded cationic oligoTEAs potent antimicrobial activity, particularly for the compound BDT-4G, which consists of a 1,4-butanedithiol backbone and guanidine pendant groups, the latter of which provides a cationic charge at physiological pH. However, the activity and mechanism of cationic oligoTEAs against MDR Gram-negative isolates have yet to be fully investigated. Herein, we demonstrated the potent antimicrobial activity of BDT-4G against clinical isolates of P. aeruginosa with a range of susceptibility profiles, assessed the kinetics of bactericidal activity, and further elucidated its mechanism of action. Activity was also evaluated against a panel of polymyxin-resistant isolates, including intrinsically-resistant species. We demonstrate that BDT-4G can evade some of the mechanisms conferring resistance to polymyxin B and thus may have therapeutic potential.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meghan K O'Leary
- Robert F. Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, United States
| | - Vishal Sundaram
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, United States
| | - John J LiPuma
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
| | - Tobias Dörr
- Department of Microbiology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, United States.,Weill Institute for Cell and Molecular Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, United States.,Cornell Institute of Host-Microbe Interactions and Disease, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, United States
| | - Lars F Westblade
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York 10065, United States.,Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York 10065, United States
| | - Christopher A Alabi
- Robert F. Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, United States
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