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Wood PL. Metabolic and Lipid Biomarkers for Pathogenic Algae, Fungi, Cyanobacteria, Mycobacteria, Gram-Positive Bacteria, and Gram-Negative Bacteria. Metabolites 2024; 14:378. [PMID: 39057701 PMCID: PMC11278827 DOI: 10.3390/metabo14070378] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2024] [Revised: 06/27/2024] [Accepted: 07/04/2024] [Indexed: 07/28/2024] Open
Abstract
The utilization of metabolomics and lipidomics analytical platforms in the study of pathogenic microbes is slowly expanding. These research approaches will significantly contribute to the establishment of microbial metabolite and lipid databases of significant value to all researchers in microbiology. In this review, we present a high-level overview of some examples of biomarkers that can be used to detect the presence of microbes, monitor the expansion/decline of a microbe population, and add to our understanding of microbe biofilms and pathogenicity. In addition, increased knowledge of the metabolic functions of pathogenic microbes can contribute to our understanding of microbes that are utilized in diverse industrial applications. Our review focuses on lipids, secondary metabolites, and non-ribosomal peptides that can be monitored using electrospray ionization high-resolution mass spectrometry (ESI-HRMS).
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul L Wood
- Metabolomics Unit, College of Veterinary Medicine, Lincoln Memorial University, 6965 Cumberland Gap Parkway, Harrogate, TN 37752, USA
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Gerling-Driessen UIM, Hoffmann M, Schmidt S, Snyder NL, Hartmann L. Glycopolymers against pathogen infection. Chem Soc Rev 2023; 52:2617-2642. [PMID: 36820794 DOI: 10.1039/d2cs00912a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/24/2023]
Abstract
Pathogens including viruses, bacteria, fungi, and parasites continue to shape our lives in profound ways every day. As we have learned to live in parallel with pathogens, we have gained a better understanding of the rules of engagement for how they bind, adhere, and invade host cells. One such mechanism involves the exploitation of host cell surface glycans for attachment/adhesion, one of the first steps of infection. This knowledge has led to the development of glycan-based diagnostics and therapeutics for the treatment and prevention of infection. One class of compounds that has become increasingly important are the glycopolymers. Glycopolymers are macromolecules composed of a synthetic scaffold presenting carbohydrates as side chain motifs. Glycopolymers are particularly attractive because their properties can be tuned by careful choice of the scaffold, carbohydrate/glycan, and overall presentation. In this review, we highlight studies over the past ten years that have examined the role of glycopolymers in pathogen adhesion and host cell infection, biofilm formation and removal, and drug delivery with the aim of examining the direct effects of these macromolecules on pathogen engagement. In addition, we also examine the role of glycopolymers as diagnostics for the detection and monitoring of pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ulla I M Gerling-Driessen
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Macromolecular Chemistry, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, Universitätsstr. 1, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany.
| | - Miriam Hoffmann
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Macromolecular Chemistry, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, Universitätsstr. 1, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany.
| | - Stephan Schmidt
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Macromolecular Chemistry, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, Universitätsstr. 1, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany. .,Institute for Macromolecular Chemistry, University of Freiburg, Stefan-Meier-Str. 31, 79104 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Nicole L Snyder
- Department of Chemistry, Davidson College, Davidson, North Carolina 28035, USA
| | - Laura Hartmann
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Macromolecular Chemistry, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, Universitätsstr. 1, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany.
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Egro F, Repko A, Narayanaswamy V, Ejaz A, Kim D, Schusterman MA, Loughran A, Ayyash A, Towsend SM, Baker S, Ziembicki J, Marra K, Rubin P. Soluble chitosan derivative treats wound infections and promotes wound healing in a novel MRSA-infected porcine partial-thickness burn wound model. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0274455. [PMID: 36240206 PMCID: PMC9565743 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0274455] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2022] [Accepted: 08/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Burns are physically debilitating and potentially fatal injuries. The most common etiology of burn wound infections in the US is methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), which is particularly recalcitrant when biofilms form. The current standard of care, silver sulfadiazine (SSD) is effective in reducing bacterial load, but less effective in improving burn wound healing. New treatments that can manage infection while simultaneously improving healing would provide a benefit in the treatment of burns. Porcine models are frequently used as a model for human wound healing but can be expensive due to the need to separate wounds to avoid cross contamination. The porcine model developed in this study offers the capability to study multiple partial thickness burn wound (PTBW) sites on a single animal with minimal crosstalk to study wound healing, infection, and inflammation. The current study evaluates a wound rinse and a wound gel formulated with a non-toxic, polycationic chitosan derivative that is hypothesized to manage infection while also promoting healing, providing a potential alternate to SSD. Studies in vitro and in this PTBW porcine model compare treatment with the chitosan derivative formulations to SSD. The wound rinse and wound gel are observed to disrupt mature MRSA biofilms in vitro and reduce the MRSA load in vivo when compared to that of the standard of care. In vivo data further show increased re-epithelialization and faster healing in burns treated with wound rinse/gel as compared to SSD. Taken together, the data demonstrate the potential of the wound rinse/gel to significantly enhance healing, promote re-epithelialization, and reduce bacterial burden in infected PTBW using an economical porcine model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesco Egro
- Department of Plastic Surgery, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States of America
| | - Alex Repko
- Department of Plastic Surgery, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States of America
| | | | - Asim Ejaz
- Department of Plastic Surgery, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States of America
| | - Deokyeol Kim
- Department of Plastic Surgery, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States of America
| | - M. Asher Schusterman
- Department of Plastic Surgery, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States of America
| | | | - Ali Ayyash
- Department of Plastic Surgery, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States of America
| | | | - Shenda Baker
- Synedgen Inc., Claremont, CA, United States of America
| | - Jenny Ziembicki
- Department of Surgery, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Mercy, Pittsburgh, PA, United States of America
| | - Kacey Marra
- Department of Plastic Surgery, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States of America
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States of America
- McGowan Institute of Regenerative Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, United States of America
| | - Peter Rubin
- Department of Plastic Surgery, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States of America
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States of America
- McGowan Institute of Regenerative Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Thomas GH. Microbial Musings - Spring 2022. MICROBIOLOGY (READING, ENGLAND) 2022; 168. [PMID: 35696259 DOI: 10.1099/mic.0.001205] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Gavin H Thomas
- Department of Biology, University of York, York, YO10 5YW, UK
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Narayanaswamy VP, Townsend SM, Loughran AJ, Wiesmann W, Baker S. Polycationic Glycopolymer Demonstrates Activity Against Persisters and Biofilms of Non-tuberculosis Mycobacteria Cystic Fibrosis Clinical Isolates in vitro. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:821820. [PMID: 35265060 PMCID: PMC8900536 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.821820] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2021] [Accepted: 01/31/2022] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Non-tuberculosis Mycobacterium (NTM) is a group of opportunistic pathogens associated with pulmonary infections that are difficult to diagnose and treat. Standard treatment typically consists of prolonged combination antibiotic therapy. Antibiotic resistance and the role of biofilms in pathogen communities, such as NTM persister cells, is an important unmet challenge that leads to increased toxicity, frequent relapse, poor clinical management, and an extended treatment period. Infection recurrence and relapse are not uncommon among individuals with cystic fibrosis (CF) or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), where thick mucus supports bacterial biofilm production and impairs mucociliary clearance. The study evaluates a membrane-active cationic glycopolymer [poly (acetyl, arginyl) glucosamine (PAAG)] being developed to support the safe and effective treatment of NTM biofilm infections. PAAG shows antibacterial activity against a wide range of pathogenic bacteria at concentrations non-toxic to human epithelial cells. Time-kill curves demonstrated PAAG’s rapid bactericidal potential at concentrations as low as 1X MIC against all NTM strains tested and compared to the standard of care. PAAG treatment prevents persister formation and eradicates antibiotic-induced persister cells in planktonic NTM cultures below the limit of detection (10 colony-forming unit (CFU)/ml). Further, PAAG showed the ability to penetrate and disperse NTM biofilms formed by both rapidly and slowly growing strains, significantly reducing the biofilm biomass (p < 0.0001) compared to the untreated NTM biofilms. Microscopical examination confirmed PAAG’s ability to disrupt and disperse mycobacterial biofilms. A single PAAG treatment resulted in up to a 25-fold reduction in live-labeled NTM and a 78% reduction in biofilm thickness. Similar to other polycationic molecules, PAAG’s bactericidal and antibiofilm activities employ rapid permeabilization of the outer membrane of the NTM strains, and subsequently, reduce the membrane potential even at concentrations as low as 50 μg/ml (p < 0.001). The outcomes of these in vitro analyses suggest the importance of this polycationic glycopolymer, PAAG, as a potential therapeutic agent for opportunistic NTM infections.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Shenda Baker
- Synedgen, Inc., Claremont, CA, United States.,Synspira Therapeutics, Inc., Framingham, MA, United States
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