Triclosan–lysozyme complex: A promising antimicrobial macromolecule stable against photooxidative damage

Applications of Lysozyme, an Innate Immune Defense Factor, as an Alternative Antibiotic

Lysozyme is a ~14 kDa protein present in many mucosal secretions (tears, saliva, and mucus) and tissues of animals and plants, and plays an important role in the innate immunity, providing protection against bacteria, viruses, and fungi. Three main different types of lysozymes are known: the c-type (chicken or conventional type), the g-type (goose type), and the i-type (invertebrate type). It has long been the subject of several applications due to its antimicrobial properties. The problem of antibiotic resistance has stimulated the search for new molecules or new applications of known compounds. The use of lysozyme as an alternative antibiotic is the subject of this review, which covers the results published over the past two decades. This review is focused on the applications of lysozyme in medicine, (the treatment of infectious diseases, wound healing, and anti-biofilm), veterinary, feed, food preservation, and crop protection. It is available from a wide range of sources, in addition to the well-known chicken egg white, and its synergism with other compounds, endowed with antimicrobial activity, are also summarized. An overview of the modified lysozyme applications is provided in the form of tables.

An Environmentally Benign Antimicrobial Coating Based on a Protein Supramolecular Assembly

The use of antimicrobial materials, for example, silver nanoparticles, has been a cause for concern because they often exert an adverse effect on environmental and safety during their preparation and use. In this study, we report a class of green antimicrobial coating based on a supramolecular assembly of a protein extracted from daily food, without the addition of any other hazardous agents. It is found that a self-assembled nanofilm by mere hen egg white lysozyme has durable in vitro and in vivo broad-spectrum antimicrobial efficacy against Gram-positive/negative and fungi. Such enhanced antimicrobial capability over native lysozyme is attributed to a synergistic combination of positive charge and hydrophobic amino acid residues enriched on polymeric aggregates in the lysozyme nanofilm. Accompanied with high antimicrobial activity, this protein-based PTL material simultaneously exhibits the integration of multiple functions including antifouling, antibiofilm, blood compatibility, and low cytotoxicity due to the existence of surface hydration effect. Moreover, the bioinspired adhesion mediated by the amyloid structure contained in the nanofilm induces robust transfer and self-adhesion of the material onto virtually arbitrary substrates by a simple one-step aqueous coating or solvent-free printing in 1 min, thereby allowing an ultrafast route into practical implications for surface-functionalized commodity and biomedical devices. Our results demonstrate that the application of pure proteinaceous substance may afford a cost-effective green biomaterial that has high antimicrobial activity and low environmental impact.

Study on the ternary system of MoO4 (2-) -enzyme-PdCl2 by resonance Rayleigh scattering, second-order scattering and frequency-doubling scattering spectra and its analytical application

In pH 4.0 Britton-Robinson buffer medium, PdCl2 was able to react with enzymes (EZ) such as lysozyme (LYSO) and papain (PAP) to form a coordination complex (EZ-PdCl2 ), which further reacted with MoO4 (2-) to form a ternary complex (MoO4 (2-) -EZ-PdCl2 ). As a result, the absorption and fluorescence spectra changed; new spectra of resonance Rayleigh scattering (RRS), second-order scattering (SOS) and frequency-doubling scattering (FDS) appeared and their intensities were enhanced greatly. The maximum RRS, SOS and FDS wavelengths of two ternary complexes were located at 310, 560 and 350 nm, respectively. The increments of scattering intensity were directly proportional to the concentrations of EZ within certain ranges. The detection limits (3σ) of LYSO and PAP were 4.5 and 14.0 ng/mL (RRS method), 9.6 and 57.8 ng/mL (SOS method), and 5.2 and 106.0 ng/mL (FDS method). Taking the MoO4 (2-) -LYSO-PdCl2 system, which was more sensitive, as an example, the effects of coexisting substances were evaluated. The methods showed excellent selectivity. Accordingly, new rapid, convenient, sensitive and selective scattering methods for the determination of LYSO and PAP were proposed and applied to determine LYSO in egg white with satisfactory results. The reaction mechanism and basis of the enhancement of scattering were discussed.

New drug-targeting strategy from beneath the shell of egg

IMPORTANCE OF THE FIELD

Antibiotic resistance is a serious problem that continues to challenge the healthcare sectors and has become increasingly alarming in the past few years. To face this emerging global crisis, there is a need to find a new class of antibiotics that act on new microbial targets and/or harness existing antibiotics by developing new drug-targeting strategies.

AREAS COVERED IN THIS REVIEW

This review: explores an innovative drug-delivery strategy of using hen egg lysozyme as a carrier to enable water solubilization and to allow specific targeting to the microbial cells of a water-insoluble antimicrobial agent with a powerful killing action; addresses potentials for lysozyme in antibiotics drug targeting; and provides insight for the future direction of this highly prospective technology.

WHAT THE READER WILL GAIN

The unique features and advantages of lysozyme-based drug delivery system are highlighted. The efficiency of lysozyme in solubilization and delivery of lipophilic antibiotics, to reformulate drugs that may fail clinical trials owing to low solubility, is emphasized.

TAKE HOME MESSAGE

Fewer pharmaceutical companies are inventing new antibiotics because of long development times and high failure rates. Combining lysozyme with a powerful old antibiotic may open doors to revolutionizing medicine, particularly in the treatment of deadly infections.

Potent antimicrobial action of triclosan-lysozyme complex against skin pathogens mediated through drug-targeted delivery mechanism

Triclosan (TCS), an antimicrobial agent that inhibits bacterial fatty acid synthesis by blocking the active site of enoyl-ACP reductase (FabI), is a water-insoluble agent that limits its therapeutic candidacy. We have recently shown that the water solubility and antimicrobial activity of TCS were greatly enhanced when complexed to lysozyme (LZ). This study is to examine the therapeutic potential of triclosan-lysozyme (T-LZ) complex against common skin pathogens expressing different levels of FabI, and to delineate the drug-targeting mechanism by lysozyme. The T-LZ exhibited superior antimicrobial activity against two bacterial skin pathogens, Propionibacterium acnes and Corynebacterium minutissimum, while yeast pathogens, Candida albicans and Malassezia furfur lacking FabI enzyme were insensitive to the complex. Unlike free TCS or LZ, the T-LZ complex exhibited a potent antibacterial activity under a wide range of pH condition and salt concentration. Interestingly, P. acnes expressing greater amount of FabI was more susceptible to the T-LZ complex than C. minutissimum that produces lesser amount of the enzyme. A sensitive assay of FabI activity revealed that P. acnes and C. minutissimum treated with the complex exhibited significant inhibition of the intracellular FabI activity than cells treated with free TCS, indicating the efficiency of lysozyme to specifically deliver TCS to its target (FabI) in the cytoplasm of bacterial cells. These results demonstrate, for the first time, that lysozyme is a potential drug carrier that allows specific targeting to the microbial cells of the water-insoluble triclosan and highlights the potency of the complex for the treatment of skin bacterial infections.