New Broth Macrodilution Volatilization Method for Antibacterial Susceptibility Testing of Volatile Agents and Evaluation of Their Toxicity Using Modified MTT Assay In Vitro

Automated and miniaturized screening of antibiotic combinations via robotic-printed combinatorial droplet platform

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has become a global health crisis in need of novel solutions. To this end, antibiotic combination therapies, which combine multiple antibiotics for treatment, have attracted significant attention as a potential approach for combating AMR. To facilitate advances in antibiotic combination therapies, most notably in investigating antibiotic interactions and identifying synergistic antibiotic combinations however, there remains a need for automated high-throughput platforms that can create and examine antibiotic combinations on-demand, at scale, and with minimal reagent consumption. To address these challenges, we have developed a Robotic-Printed Combinatorial Droplet (RoboDrop) platform by integrating a programmable droplet microfluidic device that generates antibiotic combinations in nanoliter droplets in automation, a robotic arm that arranges the droplets in an array, and a camera that images the array of thousands of droplets in parallel. We further implement a resazurin-based bacterial viability assay to accelerate our antibiotic combination testing. As a demonstration, we use RoboDrop to corroborate two pairs of antibiotics with known interactions and subsequently identify a new synergistic combination of cefsulodin, penicillin, and oxacillin against a model E. coli strain. We therefore envision RoboDrop becoming a useful tool to efficiently identify new synergistic antibiotic combinations toward combating AMR.

Validation of Broth Macrodilution Volatilization Method for Testing of Essential Oils in Liquid and Vapor Phase: Chemical Composition, Cytotoxicity, and Antibacterial Effect of Indian Medicinal Plants against Pneumonia-Causing Pathogens

Essential oils (EOs) have great potential in inhalation therapy for the treatment of respiratory infections. However, innovative methods for evaluation of antimicrobial activity of their vapors are still needed. The current study reports validation of the broth macrodilution volatilization method for assessment of the antibacterial properties of EOs and shows the growth-inhibitory effect of Indian medicinal plants against pneumonia-causing bacteria in liquid and vapor phase. Among all samples tested, Trachyspermum ammi EO exhibits the strongest antibacterial effect against Haemophilus influenzae, with minimum inhibitory concentrations of 128 and 256 µg/mL in the liquid and vapor phases, respectively. Furthermore, Cyperus scariosus EO is found to be nontoxic to normal lung fibroblasts assessed by modified thiazolyl blue tetrazolium bromide assay. Chemical analysis performed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry identified α-citral, cyperotundone, and thymol as the main constituents of Cymbopogon citratus, C. scariosus, and T. ammi EOs, respectively. In addition, β-cymene is identified as the major compound of T. ammi EO vapors when analyzed using solid-phase microextraction and gas-tight syringe sampling techniques. This study demonstrates the validity of the broth macrodilution volatilization method for antimicrobial screening of volatile compounds in the vapor phase and suggests the therapeutic potential of Indian medicinal plants in inhalation therapy.

Synthesis, Spectroscopic, Chemical Characterizations, Anticancer Capacities against HepG-2, Antibacterial and Antioxidant Activities of Cefotaxime Metal Complexes with Ca(II), Cr(III), Zn(II), Cu(II) and Se(IV)

In this study, metal cefotaxime complexes of Ca(II), Cr(III), Cu(II), Zn(II), and Se(VI) were synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis, conductance measurements, IR, electronic spectra, magnetic measurements, ¹HNMR, and XRD, as well as by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The lower values for molar conductance refer to the nonelectrolyte nature of the complexes. The FTIR and ¹H-NMR spectra for the metal complexes of cefotaxime proved that the free cefotaxime antibiotic ligand acted as a monoanionic tridentate ligand through the oxygen atoms of lactam carbonyl, the carboxylate group, and the nitrogen atoms of the amino group. From the magnetic measurements and electronic spectral data, octahedral structures were proposed for the Cr(III) and Se(VI) complexes, while the Cu(II) complex had tetragonal geometry. This study aimed to investigate the effects of cefotaxime and cefotaxime metal complexes on oxidative stress using antioxidant assays including DPPH, ORAC, FARAB, and ABTS, a metal chelation assay, as well as the inhibition of the viability of cancer cells (HepG-2). Regarding the antibacterial activity, the cefotaxime metal complexes were highly effective against both Bacillus subtilis and Escherichia coli. In conclusion, the cefotaxime metal complexes exhibited highly antioxidant activities. The cefotaxime metal complexes with Zn and Se inhibited HepG-2 cellular viability. Thus, the cefotaxime metal complexes elicited promising results as potent antioxidant and anticancer agents against HepG-2, with potent antibacterial activities at a much lower concentration.

Pharmacology of Natural Volatiles and Essential Oils in Food, Therapy, and Disease Prophylaxis

This commentary critically examines the modern paradigm of natural volatiles in 'medical aromatherapy', first by explaining the semantics of natural volatiles in health, then by addressing chemophenetic challenges to authenticity or reproducibility, and finally by elaborating on pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic processes in food, therapy, and disease prophylaxis. Research over the last 50 years has generated substantial knowledge of the chemical diversity of volatiles, and their strengths and weaknesses as antimicrobial agents. However, due to modest in vitro outcomes, the emphasis has shifted toward the ability to synergise or potentiate non-volatile natural or pharmaceutical drugs, and to modulate gene expression by binding to the lipophilic domain of mammalian cell receptors. Because essential oils and natural volatiles are small and lipophilic, they demonstrate high skin penetrating abilities when suitably encapsulated, or if derived from a dietary item they bioaccumulate in fatty tissues in the body. In the skin or body, they may synergise or drive de novo therapeutic outcomes that range from anti-inflammatory effects through to insulin sensitisation, dermal rejuvenation, keratinocyte migration, upregulation of hair follicle bulb stem cells or complementation of anti-cancer therapies. Taking all this into consideration, volatile organic compounds should be examined as candidates for prophylaxis of cardiovascular disease. Considering the modern understanding of biology, the science of natural volatiles may need to be revisited in the context of health and nutrition.