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Papadopoulou V, Sidders AE, Lu KY, Velez AZ, Durham PG, Bui DT, Angeles-Solano M, Dayton PA, Rowe SE. Overcoming biological barriers to improve treatment of a Staphylococcus aureus wound infection. Cell Chem Biol 2023; 30:513-526.e5. [PMID: 37148883 PMCID: PMC10198964 DOI: 10.1016/j.chembiol.2023.04.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2022] [Revised: 01/19/2023] [Accepted: 04/17/2023] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
Chronic wounds frequently become infected with bacterial biofilms which respond poorly to antibiotic therapy. Aminoglycoside antibiotics are ineffective at treating deep-seated wound infections due to poor drug penetration, poor drug uptake into persister cells, and widespread antibiotic resistance. In this study, we combat the two major barriers to successful aminoglycoside treatment against a biofilm-infected wound: limited antibiotic uptake and limited biofilm penetration. To combat the limited antibiotic uptake, we employ palmitoleic acid, a host-produced monounsaturated fatty acid that perturbs the membrane of gram-positive pathogens and induces gentamicin uptake. This novel drug combination overcomes gentamicin tolerance and resistance in multiple gram-positive wound pathogens. To combat biofilm penetration, we examined the ability of sonobactericide, a non-invasive ultrasound-mediated-drug delivery technology to improve antibiotic efficacy using an in vivo biofilm model. This dual approach dramatically improved antibiotic efficacy against a methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) wound infection in diabetic mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Virginie Papadopoulou
- Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of North Carolina and North Carolina State University, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.
| | - Ashelyn E Sidders
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Kuan-Yi Lu
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Amanda Z Velez
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Phillip G Durham
- Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of North Carolina and North Carolina State University, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA; Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Duyen T Bui
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Michelle Angeles-Solano
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Paul A Dayton
- Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of North Carolina and North Carolina State University, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA; Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Sarah E Rowe
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.
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Sidders AE, Kedziora KM, Arts M, Daniel JM, de Benedetti S, Beam JE, Bui DT, Parsons JB, Schneider T, Rowe SE, Conlon BP. Antibiotic-induced accumulation of lipid II synergizes with antimicrobial fatty acids to eradicate bacterial populations. eLife 2023; 12:80246. [PMID: 36876902 PMCID: PMC10030119 DOI: 10.7554/elife.80246] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2022] [Accepted: 03/05/2023] [Indexed: 03/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Antibiotic tolerance and antibiotic resistance are the two major obstacles to the efficient and reliable treatment of bacterial infections. Identifying antibiotic adjuvants that sensitize resistant and tolerant bacteria to antibiotic killing may lead to the development of superior treatments with improved outcomes. Vancomycin, a lipid II inhibitor, is a frontline antibiotic for treating methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and other Gram-positive bacterial infections. However, vancomycin use has led to the increasing prevalence of bacterial strains with reduced susceptibility to vancomycin. Here, we show that unsaturated fatty acids act as potent vancomycin adjuvants to rapidly kill a range of Gram-positive bacteria, including vancomycin-tolerant and resistant populations. The synergistic bactericidal activity relies on the accumulation of membrane-bound cell wall intermediates that generate large fluid patches in the membrane leading to protein delocalization, aberrant septal formation, and loss of membrane integrity. Our findings provide a natural therapeutic option that enhances vancomycin activity against difficult-to-treat pathogens, and the underlying mechanism may be further exploited to develop antimicrobials that target recalcitrant infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashelyn E Sidders
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, United States
| | - Katarzyna M Kedziora
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, United States
- Bioinformatics and Analytics Research Collaborative, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, United States
| | - Melina Arts
- Institute for Pharmaceutical Microbiology, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Jan-Martin Daniel
- Institute for Pharmaceutical Microbiology, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | | | - Jenna E Beam
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, United States
| | - Duyen T Bui
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, United States
| | - Joshua B Parsons
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, United States
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Duke University, Durham, United States
| | - Tanja Schneider
- Institute for Pharmaceutical Microbiology, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Sarah E Rowe
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, United States
| | - Brian P Conlon
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, United States
- Marsico Lung Institute, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, United States
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Beavers WN, Munneke MJ, Stackhouse AR, Freiberg JA, Skaar EP. Host Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids Potentiate Aminoglycoside Killing of Staphylococcus aureus. Microbiol Spectr 2022; 10:e0276721. [PMID: 35377191 PMCID: PMC9045252 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.02767-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2022] [Accepted: 03/15/2022] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Aminoglycoside antibiotics rely on the proton motive force to enter the bacterial cell, and facultative anaerobes like Staphylococcus aureus can shift energy generation from respiration to fermentation, becoming tolerant of aminoglycosides. Following this metabolic shift, high concentrations of aminoglycosides are required to eradicate S. aureus infections, which endangers the host due to the toxicity of aminoglycosides. Membrane-disrupting molecules prevent aminoglycoside tolerance in S. aureus by facilitating passive entry of the drug through the membrane. Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) increase membrane permeability when incorporated into S. aureus. Here, we report that the abundant host-derived PUFA arachidonic acid increases the susceptibility of S. aureus to aminoglycosides, decreasing the aminoglycoside concentration needed to kill S. aureus. We demonstrate that PUFAs and aminoglycosides synergize to kill multiple strains of S. aureus, including both methicillin-resistant and -susceptible S. aureus. We also present data showing that PUFAs and aminoglycosides effectively kill S. aureus small colony variants, strains that are particularly recalcitrant to killing by many antibiotics. We conclude that cotreatment with PUFAs, which are molecules with low host toxicity, and aminoglycosides decreases the aminoglycoside concentration necessary to kill S. aureus, lowering the toxic side effects to the host associated with prolonged aminoglycoside exposure. IMPORTANCE Staphylococcus aureus infects every niche of the human host, and these infections are the leading cause of Gram-positive sepsis. Aminoglycoside antibiotics are inexpensive, stable, and effective against many bacterial infections. However, S. aureus can shift its metabolism to become tolerant of aminoglycosides, requiring increased concentrations and/or longer courses of treatment, which can cause severe host toxicity. Here, we report that polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), which have low host toxicity, disrupt the S. aureus membrane, making the pathogen susceptible to aminoglycosides. Additionally, cotreatment with aminoglycosides is effective at killing S. aureus small colony variants, strains that are difficult to treat with antibiotics. Taken together, the data presented herein show the promise of PUFA cotreatment to increase the efficacy of aminoglycosides against S. aureus infections and decrease the risk to the human host of antibiotic-induced toxicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- William N. Beavers
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
- Department of Pathobiological Sciences, Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, School of Veterinary Medicine, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA
| | - Matthew J. Munneke
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Alex R. Stackhouse
- Department of Pathobiological Sciences, Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, School of Veterinary Medicine, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA
| | - Jeffrey A. Freiberg
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Eric P. Skaar
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
- Vanderbilt Institute for Infection, Immunology, and Inflammation, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
- Vanderbilt Institute for Chemical Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
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