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Papa R, Imperlini E, Trecca M, Paris I, Vrenna G, Artini M, Selan L. Virulence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in Cystic Fibrosis: Relationships between Normoxia and Anoxia Lifestyle. Antibiotics (Basel) 2023; 13:1. [PMID: 38275311 PMCID: PMC10812786 DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics13010001] [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: 11/27/2023] [Revised: 12/14/2023] [Accepted: 12/17/2023] [Indexed: 01/27/2024] Open
Abstract
The airways of cystic fibrosis (CF) patients are colonized by many pathogens and the most common is Pseudomonas aeruginosa, an environmental pathogen that is able to infect immunocompromised patients thanks to its ability to develop resistance to conventional antibiotics. Over 12% of all patients colonized by P. aeruginosa harbour multi-drug resistant species. During airway infection in CF, P. aeruginosa adopts various mechanisms to survive in a hostile ecological niche characterized by low oxygen concentration, nutrient limitation and high osmotic pressure. To this end, P. aeruginosa uses a variety of virulence factors including pigment production, biofilm formation, motility and the secretion of toxins and proteases. This study represents the first report that systematically analyzes the differences in virulence features, in normoxia and anoxia, of clinical P. aeruginosa isolated from CF patients, characterized by multi- or pan-drug antibiotic resistance compared to antibiotic sensitive strains. The virulence features, such as biofilm formation, protease secretion and motility, are highly diversified in anaerobiosis, which reflects the condition of chronic CF infection. These findings may contribute to the understanding of the real-world lifestyle of pathogens isolated during disease progression in each particular patient and to assist in the design of therapeutic protocols for personalized medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rosanna Papa
- Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, Sapienza University, p. le Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy; (R.P.); (M.T.); (I.P.); (L.S.)
| | - Esther Imperlini
- Department for Innovation in Biological, Agro-Food and Forest Systems, University of Tuscia, 01100 Viterbo, Italy;
| | - Marika Trecca
- Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, Sapienza University, p. le Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy; (R.P.); (M.T.); (I.P.); (L.S.)
| | - Irene Paris
- Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, Sapienza University, p. le Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy; (R.P.); (M.T.); (I.P.); (L.S.)
| | - Gianluca Vrenna
- Research Unit of Diagnostical and Management Innovations, Children’s Hospital and Institute Research Bambino Gesù, 00165 Rome, Italy;
| | - Marco Artini
- Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, Sapienza University, p. le Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy; (R.P.); (M.T.); (I.P.); (L.S.)
| | - Laura Selan
- Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, Sapienza University, p. le Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy; (R.P.); (M.T.); (I.P.); (L.S.)
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Artini M, Papa R, Vrenna G, Trecca M, Paris I, D’Angelo C, Tutino ML, Parrilli E, Selan L. Antarctic Marine Bacteria as a Source of Anti-Biofilm Molecules to Combat ESKAPE Pathogens. Antibiotics (Basel) 2023; 12:1556. [PMID: 37887257 PMCID: PMC10604463 DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics12101556] [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: 09/21/2023] [Revised: 10/17/2023] [Accepted: 10/19/2023] [Indexed: 10/28/2023] Open
Abstract
The ESKAPE pathogens, including bacteria such as Enterococcus faecium, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Enterobacter species, pose a global health threat due to their ability to resist antimicrobial drugs and evade the immune system. These pathogens are responsible for hospital-acquired infections, especially in intensive care units, and contribute to the growing problem of multi-drug resistance. In this study, researchers focused on exploring the potential of Antarctic marine bacteria as a source of anti-biofilm molecules to combat ESKAPE pathogens. Four Antarctic bacterial strains were selected, and their cell-free supernatants were tested against 60 clinical ESKAPE isolates. The results showed that the supernatants did not exhibit antimicrobial activity but effectively prevented biofilm formation and dispersed mature biofilms. This research highlights the promising potential of Antarctic bacteria in producing compounds that can counteract biofilms formed by clinically significant bacterial species. These findings contribute to the development of new strategies for preventing and controlling infections caused by ESKAPE pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco Artini
- Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, Sapienza University, p.le Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy; (M.A.); (G.V.); (M.T.); (I.P.); (L.S.)
| | - Rosanna Papa
- Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, Sapienza University, p.le Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy; (M.A.); (G.V.); (M.T.); (I.P.); (L.S.)
| | - Gianluca Vrenna
- Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, Sapienza University, p.le Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy; (M.A.); (G.V.); (M.T.); (I.P.); (L.S.)
- Research Unit of Diagnostical and Management Innovations, Children’s Hospital and Institute Research Bambino Gesù, 00165 Rome, Italy
| | - Marika Trecca
- Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, Sapienza University, p.le Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy; (M.A.); (G.V.); (M.T.); (I.P.); (L.S.)
| | - Irene Paris
- Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, Sapienza University, p.le Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy; (M.A.); (G.V.); (M.T.); (I.P.); (L.S.)
| | - Caterina D’Angelo
- Department of Chemical Sciences, Federico II University, Complesso Universitario Monte S. Angelo, Via Cintia 4, 80126 Naples, Italy; (C.D.); (M.L.T.); (E.P.)
| | - Maria Luisa Tutino
- Department of Chemical Sciences, Federico II University, Complesso Universitario Monte S. Angelo, Via Cintia 4, 80126 Naples, Italy; (C.D.); (M.L.T.); (E.P.)
| | - Ermenegilda Parrilli
- Department of Chemical Sciences, Federico II University, Complesso Universitario Monte S. Angelo, Via Cintia 4, 80126 Naples, Italy; (C.D.); (M.L.T.); (E.P.)
| | - Laura Selan
- Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, Sapienza University, p.le Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy; (M.A.); (G.V.); (M.T.); (I.P.); (L.S.)
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Caglioti C, Iannitti R, Ceccarelli G, Selan L, Artini M, Papa R, Malvasi A, Gentile R, Del Bianco D, Apone F, Angelini P, Palazzetti F, Fioretti B. Cranberry/Chondroitin Sulfate Co-precipitate as a New Method for Controlling Urinary Tract Infections. Antibiotics (Basel) 2023; 12:1053. [PMID: 37370374 DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics12061053] [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: 05/11/2023] [Revised: 06/01/2023] [Accepted: 06/06/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Urinary tract infections (UTI), which are among the most frequent cases of infectious diseases, mainly affect women. The most common treatment approach involves the use of antibiotics, although this solution is not always the most suitable, mainly because of the resistance that bacterial strains develop. Proanthocyanidins are a class of polyphenols, abundantly contained in cranberry extracts, which have shown beneficial effects in the treatment of urinary tract infections, due to their anti-adhesive properties toward bacteria, with respect to the membranes of the cells of the urothelium and intestine, thus reducing their virulence. In this work, we demonstrate via microscopy and scattering measurements how a mixture of cranberry and chondroitin sulfate can form a crosslinked structure with barrier properties. By using a design of experiment (DOE), we optimized the mass ratio to obtain a precipitate between cranberry extract and chondroitin sulfate in the presence of N-acetylcysteine and hyaluronic acid. By using transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER) chambers, we confirmed the barrier properties of the best mixture obtained with the DOE. Lastly, the antibiofilm action was investigated against five strains of Escherichia coli with different antibiotic sensitivity. The precipitate displayed a variable inhibitory effect in biofilm formation with major effects in UTI with an antibiotic resistance profile.
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Affiliation(s)
- Concetta Caglioti
- Department of Chemistry, Biology and Biotechnologies, University of Perugia, Via Elce di Sotto 8, 06132 Perugia, Italy
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, Perugia Medical School, University of Perugia, Piazza Lucio Severi 1, 06132 Perugia, Italy
| | - Rossana Iannitti
- S&R Farmaceutici S.p., Avia dei Pioppi 2, 06083 Bastia Umbra, Italy
| | - Giada Ceccarelli
- S&R Farmaceutici S.p., Avia dei Pioppi 2, 06083 Bastia Umbra, Italy
| | - Laura Selan
- Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, Sapienza University, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Marco Artini
- Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, Sapienza University, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Rosanna Papa
- Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, Sapienza University, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Antonio Malvasi
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Human Oncology, Obstetrics and Gynecology Unit, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Piazza Giulio Cesare 11, 70124 Bari, Italy
| | - Rosaria Gentile
- Department of Chemistry, Biology and Biotechnologies, University of Perugia, Via Elce di Sotto 8, 06132 Perugia, Italy
| | - Diletta Del Bianco
- Department of Chemistry, Biology and Biotechnologies, University of Perugia, Via Elce di Sotto 8, 06132 Perugia, Italy
| | - Florinda Apone
- Department of Chemistry, Biology and Biotechnologies, University of Perugia, Via Elce di Sotto 8, 06132 Perugia, Italy
| | - Paola Angelini
- Department of Chemistry, Biology and Biotechnologies, University of Perugia, Via Elce di Sotto 8, 06132 Perugia, Italy
| | - Federico Palazzetti
- Department of Chemistry, Biology and Biotechnologies, University of Perugia, Via Elce di Sotto 8, 06132 Perugia, Italy
| | - Bernard Fioretti
- Department of Chemistry, Biology and Biotechnologies, University of Perugia, Via Elce di Sotto 8, 06132 Perugia, Italy
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