Background: biofilms pose a unique challenge in healthcare due to their tolerance to a wide range of antimicrobial agents. The high cost and lengthy timeline to develop novel therapeutic agents have pushed researchers to investigate the use of nanomaterials to deliver antibiofilm agents and target biofilm infections more efficiently. Previous studies have concentrated on improving the efficacy of antibiotics by deploying nanoparticles as nanocarriers. However, the dispersal of the extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) matrix in biofilm-associated infections is also critical to the development of novel nanoparticle-based therapies.
Methods: This study evaluated the efficacy of enzyme-functionalized mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) against methicillin-resistant (MRSA) and methicillin-sensitive (MSSA) biofilms. MSNs were functionalized with the enzyme lysostaphin, which causes cell lysis of bacteria. This was combined with two other enzyme functionalized MSNs, serrapeptase and DNase I which will degrade protein and eDNA in the EPS matrix, to enhance eradication of the biofilm. Cell viability after treatment with enzyme-functionalized MSNs was assessed using a MTT assay and CLSM, while crystal violet staining was used to assess EPS removal.
Results: The efficacy of all three enzymes against cells and biofilms was significantly improved when they were immobilized onto MSNs. Treatment efficacy was further enhanced when the three enzymes were used in combination against both MRSA and MSSA. Regardless of biofilm maturity (24 or 48 h), near-complete dispersal and killing of MRSA biofilms were observed after treatment with the enzyme-functionalized MSNs. Disruption of mature MSSA biofilms with a polysaccharide EPS was less efficient, but cell viability was significantly reduced.
Conclusion: The combination of these three enzymes and their functionalization onto nanoparticles might extend the therapeutic options for the treatment of infections, particularly those with a biofilm component.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.2147/IJN.S293190 | DOI Listing |
Front Nutr
December 2024
College of Horticulture, Xinjiang Agricultural University, Urumqi, China.
The application of plant growth regulators is an effective method to enhance flavonoid content in certain fruits; however, there is limited research comparing the effects of different plant growth regulators. This study evaluated the impact of pre-harvest application with melatonin, 24-epibrassinolide, and methyl jasmonate on flavonoid content in blueberry fruit. All three plant growth regulators increased the total polyphenol content, total flavonoid content, antioxidant capacities, and the activities of key enzymes involved in flavonoid biosynthesis, including flavone synthase, flavanone 3-hydroxylase, flavonol synthase, anthocyanidin synthase, and leucoanthocyanidin reductase.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFront Neurosci
December 2024
The Neuro's Early Drug Discovery Unit (EDDU), McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
This study aimed to evaluate different combinations of three dietary supplements for potential additive or synergistic effects in an Parkinson's Disease model. The complex and diverse processes leading to neurodegeneration in each patient with a neurodegenerative disorder cannot be effectively addressed by a single medication. Instead, various combinations of potentially neuroprotective agents targeting different disease mechanisms simultaneously may show improved additive or synergistic efficacy in slowing the disease progression and allowing the agents to be utilized at lower doses to minimize side effects.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCureus
December 2024
Basic Sciences, Hawler Medical University, Erbil, IRQ.
Background Multiple sclerosis is a chronic, progressive, disabling disease associated with a high rate of infection, evidence of chronic inflammation, and a high mortality rate. Abnormalities of serum cytokines and changes in the activity of inflammatory cells were associated with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS-RR). This study aims to introduce new inflammatory ratios derived from hematological and lipid indices as discriminators of T-helper (Th)-1/Th-2 activity in RR-MS.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFront Plant Sci
December 2024
Institute of Bast Fiber Crops, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Changsha, China.
Bacterial canker is a devastating disease in kiwifruit production, primarily caused by pv. . In this study, a strain of named JIN4, isolated from a kiwifruit branch, showed antagonistic activity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFUnlabelled: Guanosine triphosphate (GTP) is essential for macromolecular biosynthesis, and its intracellular levels are tightly regulated in bacteria. Loss of the alarmone (p)ppGpp disrupts GTP regulation in , causing cell death in the presence of exogenous guanosine and underscoring the critical importance of GTP homeostasis. To investigate the basis of guanosine toxicity, we performed a genetic selection for spontaneous mutations that suppress this effect, uncovering an unexpected link between GTP synthesis and glycolysis.
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