In vitro antibacterial activity of tigecycline against resistant Gram-negative bacilli and enterococci by time-kill assay

Development of Scaffolds with Chitosan Magnetically Activated with Cobalt Nanoferrite: A Study on Physical-Chemical, Mechanical, Cytotoxic and Antimicrobial Behavior

Background/Objectives: This study investigates the development of 3D chitosan-x-cobalt ferrite scaffolds (x = 5, 7.5, and 10 wt%) with interconnected porosity for potential biomedical applications. The objective was to evaluate the effects of magnetic particle incorporation on the scaffolds' structural, mechanical, magnetic, and biological properties, specifically focusing on their biocompatibility and antimicrobial performance. Methods: Scaffolds were synthesized using freeze-drying, while cobalt ferrite nanoparticles were produced via a pilot-scale combustion reaction. The scaffolds were characterized for their physical and chemical properties, including porosity, swelling, and mechanical strength. Hydrophilicity was assessed through contact angle measurements. Antimicrobial efficacy was evaluated using time kill kinetics and agar diffusion assays, and biocompatibility was confirmed through cytotoxicity tests. Results: The incorporation of cobalt ferrite increased magnetic responsiveness, altered porosity profiles, and influenced swelling, biodegradation, and compressive strength, with a maximum value of 87 kPa at 7.5 wt% ferrite content. The scaffolds maintained non-toxicity and demonstrated bactericidal activity. The optimal concentration for achieving a balance between structural integrity and biological performance was found at 7.5 wt% cobalt ferrite. Conclusions: These findings suggest that magnetic chitosan-cobalt ferrite scaffolds possess significant potential for use in biomedical applications, including tissue regeneration and advanced healing therapies. The incorporation of magnetic properties enhances both the structural and biological functionalities, presenting promising opportunities for innovative therapeutic approaches in reconstructive procedures.

Preliminary Insight of Pyrrolylated-Chalcones as New Anti-Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (Anti-MRSA) Agents

Bacterial infections are regarded as one of the leading causes of fatal morbidity and death in patients infected with diseases. The ability of microorganisms, particularly methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), to develop resistance to current drugs has evoked the need for a continuous search for new drugs with better efficacies. Hence, a series of non-PAINS associated pyrrolylated-chalcones (1–15) were synthesized and evaluated for their potency against MRSA. The hydroxyl-containing compounds (8, 9, and 10) showed the most significant anti-MRSA efficiency, with the MIC and MBC values ranging from 0.08 to 0.70 mg/mL and 0.16 to 1.88 mg/mL, respectively. The time-kill curve and SEM analyses exhibited bacterial cell death within four hours after exposure to 9, suggesting its bactericidal properties. Furthermore, the docking simulation between 9 and penicillin-binding protein 2a (PBP2a, PDB ID: 6Q9N) suggests a relatively similar bonding interaction to the standard drug with a binding affinity score of −7.0 kcal/mol. Moreover, the zebrafish model showed no toxic effects in the normal embryonic development, blood vessel formation, and apoptosis when exposed to up to 40 µM of compound 9. The overall results suggest that the pyrrolylated-chalcones may be considered as a potential inhibitor in the design of new anti-MRSA agents.

An effect of positional isomerism of benzoic acid derivatives on antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli

This study demonstrated the effect of positional isomerism of benzoic acid derivatives against E. coli ATCC 700728 with the serotype O157. The addition of hydroxyl and methoxyl substituents weakened the effect of acids against E. coli with respect to benzoic acid (except 2-hydroxybenzoic). The connection of the hydroxyl group at the second carbon atom in the benzoic ring reduced the time needed to kill bacterial cells. Phenolic acids with methoxyl substitutes limited the biofilm formation by E. coli to a greater extent than hydroxyl derivatives. The most significant influence on the antibacterial activity of phenolic acids has the type of substituent attached to the benzoic ring, their number, and finally the number of carbon atoms at which the functional group is located.

Optimizing the Dosing Regimens of Tigecycline against Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococci in the Treatment of Intra-abdominal and Skin and Soft Tissue Infections

Tigecycline was previously considered to have activity against vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE) isolates, but the optimal dose was not clarified. Thus, this study assessed the in vitro activity of tigecycline against clinical VRE isolates to determine its optimal regimens for complicated intra-abdominal (cIAIs) and complicated skin/soft tissue infections (cSSTIs). We used Monte Carlo simulation to calculate the probability of target attainment (PTA) and the cumulative fraction of response for the ratio of the free area under the curve to the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) (fAUIC₂₄), which were 17.9 and 6.9 for treating cSSTIs and cIAIs, respectively. All clinical isolates were Enterococcus faecium. Only a maintenance dose of 200 mg/day tigecycline gave the target attainment of fAUIC₂₄ >17.9, and PTA exceeded 90% for MIC ≤0.38 µg/mL. Meanwhile, this dose gave the target attainment of fAUIC₂₄ >6.9, and PTA exceeded 90% for MIC ≤1 µg/mL. All simulated tigecycline dosing regimens met the fAUIC₂₄ targets more than 90% of the cumulative fraction of response. Despite its apparent efficacy, a daily tigecycline dose of 200 mg is recommended for VRE isolates with MICs of ≤0.38 µg/mL and ≤1 µg/mL for treating cSSTIs and cIAIs, respectively.

Novel vancomycin-peptide conjugate as potent antibacterial agent against vancomycin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus

Background

Increase in vancomycin (Van)-resistant bacterial strains including vancomycin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (VRSA) and lack of new effective antibiotics have become a formidable health problem.

Materials and methods

We designed a new conjugate composed of Van and a peptide Hecate (Hec; Van/Hec), and its potential antimicrobial activity was evaluated.

Results

Results from disk diffusion test, time-kill assay, determination of minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), microscopy, and comet assay showed strong antimicrobial effects of Van/Hec against wild-type, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and VRSA. Microscopy revealed that the exposure to Van/Hec results in disruption of bacterial cell integrity in all tested strains, which was not observed in case of Van or Hec alone.

Conclusion

Overall, we showed that the preparation of conjugates from antibiotics and biologically active peptides could help us to overcome the limitation of the use of antibiotic in the treatment of infections caused by multidrug-resistant bacteria.

Combination Susceptibility Testing of Common Antimicrobials in Vitro and the Effects of Sub-MIC of Antimicrobials on Staphylococcus aureus Biofilm Formation

The current study was conducted to evaluate the antibacterial combination efficacies, and whether the sub-inhibitory concentrations (sub-MIC) of antibiotics can influent on the biofilm formation of S. aureus. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of common antibacterial drugs was determined in vitro against clinical isolates of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), Escherichia coli (E. coli), and Pasteurella multocida (P. multocida) alone and in combination with each other by using the broth microdilution method and the checkerboard micro-dilution method analyzed with the fractional inhibitory concentration index (FICI), respectively. Regarding these results, antibacterial drug combinations were categorized as synergistic, interacting, antagonistic and indifferent, and most of the results were consistent with the previous reports. Additionally, the effects of sub-MIC of seven antimicrobials (kanamycin, acetylisovaleryltylosin tartrate, enrofloxacin, lincomycin, colistin sulfate, berberine, and clarithromycin) on S. aureus biofilm formation were determined via crystal violet staining, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and real-time PCR. Our results demonstrate that all antibiotics, except acetylisovaleryltylosin tartrate, effectively reduced the S. aureus biofilm formation. In addition, real-time reverse transcriptase PCR was used to analyze the relative expression levels of S. aureus biofilm-related genes such as sarA, fnbA, rbf, lrgA, cidA, and eno after the treatment at sub-MIC with all of the six antimicrobials. All antibiotics significantly inhibited the expression of these biofilm-related genes except for acetylisovaleryltylosin tartrate, which efficiently up-regulated these transcripts. These results provide the theoretical parameters for the selection of effective antimicrobial combinations in clinical therapy and demonstrate how to correctly use antibiotics at sub-MIC as preventive drugs.

In vitro and in vivo antibacterial activity of tigecycline against Vibrio vulnificus

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE

The aim of this study is to investigate the role of tigecycline in Vibrio vulnificus infection.

METHODS

Eight randomly selected clinical V. vulnificus isolates were studied to obtain the minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of minocycline, cefotaxime, and tigecycline, and the time-kill curves of tigecycline alone or in combination with other drugs. A peritonitis mouse model was used for the evaluation of the therapeutic efficacy of tigecycline alone or cefotaxime in combination with minocycline or tigecycline.

RESULTS

The MIC of minocycline, cefotaxime, and tigecycline for eight clinical V. vulnificus isolates was 0.06-0.12 μg/mL, 0.03-0.06 μg/mL, and 0.03-0.06 μg/mL, respectively. In time-killing studies, at the concentration of 1 × MIC, the inhibitory effect of tigecycline persisted for 24 hours in five of eight isolates. With 2 × MIC and trough level, the inhibitory effect was noted in all isolates for 24 hours. With the combination of minocycline plus cefotaxime and tigecycline plus cefotaxime at 1/2 × MIC, the bactericidal effect was noted in 25% and 62.5% of eight isolates and synergism in 50% and 75% of isolates. With a low (1.25 × 10⁵ CFU/mL) inoculum, all infected mice survived with tigecycline alone, tigecycline plus cefotaxime, or minocycline plus cefotaxime on the 14^th day. At the inoculum of 1.25 × 10⁶ CFU, the survival rate was 33.3% on the 14^th day in the tigecycline plus cefotaxime-treated group, but none of the mice treated by tigecycline alone or minocycline plus cefotaxime survived (33.3% vs. 0%, p = 0.01 by Fisher's exact test).

CONCLUSION

Our in vitro combination and animal studies indicate that tigecycline could be an option for the treatment of invasive V. vulnificus infections.

In vitro antibacterial activity of panduratin A against enterococci clinical isolates

Panduratin A, a natural chalcone compound isolated from the rhizome of fingerroot (Boesenbergia rotunda (L.) MANSF. A). The antibacterial activity of panduratin A against clinical enterococci isolates was compared in terms of minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimal bactericidal concentration (MBC) to those of commonly used antimicrobials, according to the CLSI guidelines. Time-kill curves were constructed to assess the concentration between MIC and bactericidal activity of panduratin A at concentrations ranging from 0x MIC to 4x MIC. The activity of panduratin A against biofilm-producing enterococcal strains was also evaluated. The growth of all clinical enterococci isolates (n=23) were inhibited by panduratin A at a concentration of 2 microg/ml. Panduratin A was able to kill all clinical enterococci isolates with a MBC of 8 microg/ml. The time-kill curves demonstrated that the bactericidal endpoint for clinical enterococci was reached after 30 min of incubation at a panduratin A concentration of 4x MIC. The growth of biofilm-producing enterococcal strains can be inhibited and eradicated by panduratin A at concentrations of <or=4 microg/ml and <or=16 microg/ml, respectively. The antibacterial activity of panduratin A against all clinical enterococci isolates was generally more potent than commonly used antimicrobials. Panduratin A has stronger activity against biofilm-producing enterococcal strains than daptomycin and linezolid. Panduratin A is an antimicrobial agent with high in vitro activity against clinical enterococci, including organisms resistant to other antimicrobials.

Activity of tigecycline alone and in combination with colistin and meropenem against Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase (KPC)-producing Enterobacteriaceae strains by time-kill assay

Antibiotic combinations including tigecycline have not been studied against Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase (KPC)-producing pathogens. Tigecycline alone and combined with colistin and meropenem was tested against eight genetically unrelated KPC-producing clinical strains of Enterobacteriaceae (four K. pneumoniae, two Escherichia coli, one Enterobacter cloacae and one Serratia marcescens) by time-kill assay. Tigecycline displayed a concentration-independent bacteriostatic activity in seven strains and bactericidal activity in one strain. Colistin showed bactericidal activity at 4× the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) in three strains and was bacteriostatic for the remaining strains and concentrations. Meropenem was bactericidal in three strains and bacteriostatic in five strains. The tigecycline+meropenem combination was not bactericidal against the four K. pneumoniae strains and was non-synergistic against all eight strains. Tigecycline+colistin was bactericidal against all strains at most time intervals and concentrations and was also synergistic at 1× and 2× MIC against most strains up to 4-8h and at 4× MIC up to 24 h against all strains. These findings suggest that, at most drug concentrations, tigecycline, colistin and meropenem as single agents do not exhibit efficient bactericidal activity against most of the KPC-producing strains. Tigecycline alone might be a therapeutic option for infections caused by KPC-producers when bacteriostatic activity is adequate or combined with colistin when bactericidal activity is necessary. Additional in vivo tests are warranted to assess better the killing kinetics of tigecycline combinations against KPC-producers.