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Microorganisms Jan 2023(1) Background: Superficial, including cutaneous and mucocutaneous infections are a current public health problem with universal distribution. One of the main concerns,...
(1) Background: Superficial, including cutaneous and mucocutaneous infections are a current public health problem with universal distribution. One of the main concerns, in the present/future, is fungal/bacterial infections by resistant microorganisms. This study aimed to verify if decoctions of coptidis (, Ranunculaceae family), neem (, Meliaceae family), and their essential oils (EOs), as well as the EO of manuka (, Myrtaceae family) have antimicrobial activity against prevalent species of microorganisms responsible for superficial infections. (2) Methods: The antimicrobial activity was determined by the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), using broth microdilution method, and minimum lethal concentration (MLC) was determined from subculture of MIC plates. (3) Results: EO and decoction demonstrated some antifungal action against the yeasts and dermatophytes tested. Greatest bactericidal effect against and some action against was observed. For only EO proved activity against dermatophytes and . EO showed the broadest antimicrobial spectrum with activity against bacteria, yeasts, and dermatophytes showing greater activity against and . (4) Conclusions: (EO/decoction), EOs of and proved in vitro efficacy against fungal, bacterial, or mixed agents of superficial infections, either by sensitive or resistant strains.
PubMed: 36838237
DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms11020272 -
Nature Communications Feb 2023Acne vulgaris is a common neutrophil-driven inflammatory skin disorder in which Cutibacterium acnes (C. acnes) is known to play a key role. For decades, antibiotics have...
Acne vulgaris is a common neutrophil-driven inflammatory skin disorder in which Cutibacterium acnes (C. acnes) is known to play a key role. For decades, antibiotics have been widely employed to treat acne vulgaris, inevitably resulting in increased bacterial antibiotic resistance. Phage therapy is a promising strategy to combat the growing challenge of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, utilizing viruses that specifically lyse bacteria. Herein, we explore the feasibility of phage therapy against C. acnes. Eight novel phages, isolated in our laboratory, and commonly used antibiotics eradicate 100% of clinically isolated C. acnes strains. Topical phage therapy in a C. acnes-induced acne-like lesions mouse model affords significantly superior clinical and histological scores. Moreover, the decrease in inflammatory response was reflected by the reduced expression of chemokine CXCL2, neutrophil infiltration, and other inflammatory cytokines when compared with the infected-untreated group. Overall, these findings indicate the potential of phage therapy for acne vulgaris as an additional tool to conventional antibiotics.
Topics: Animals; Mice; Phage Therapy; Acne Vulgaris; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Skin; Drug Resistance, Bacterial; Propionibacterium acnes
PubMed: 36813793
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-36694-8 -
Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology Mar 2023Efficient selection and production of antibody fragments in microbial systems remain to be a challenging process. To optimize microbial production of single-chain...
Efficient selection and production of antibody fragments in microbial systems remain to be a challenging process. To optimize microbial production of single-chain variable fragments (scFvs), we have chosen five model targets, 1) a hapten, Zearalenone (ZEN) mycotoxin, along with infectious agents 2) rabies virus, 3) Propionibacterium acnes, 4) Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and a cancer cell 5) acute myeloid leukemia cell line (HL-60). The scFv binders were affinity selected from a non-immunized human phage display scFv antibody library and genetically fused to the N-terminus of emerald green fluorescent protein (EmGFP). The scFv-EmGFP fusion constructs were subcloned into an expression vector, under the control of T7 promoter, C-terminally tagged with hexa-histidine and expressed in different Escherichia coli (E. coli) hosts. This enabled the detection of cells that expressed the correct scFv-EmGFP fusion, termed fluorobody, via bright fluorescent signal in the cytoplasm. Among the three E. coli hosts tested, an engineered E. coli B strain called SHuffle B that promotes disulfide bond formation in the cytoplasm appeared to be the most appropriate host. The recombinant fluorobodies were well expressed (2-8 mg/L), possessed the fluorescence property of EmGFP, and retained the ability to bind to their cognate targets. Their specific bindings were demonstrated by ELISA, fluorescence-linked immunosorbent assay (FLISA), flow cytometry, and fluorescent microscope imaging. The fluorobody expression platform in this study could be further adopted as a one-step immunostaining technique based on scFv, isolated from phage display library to numerous desired targets. KEY POINTS: • E. coli SHuffle express T7 is a suitable expression host for scFv-EmGFP (fluorobody) • Only the clones harboring scFv-EmGFP plasmid will show bright fluorescent signal • This platform can be used to produce fluorobodies for numerous purposes.
Topics: Humans; Escherichia coli; Single-Chain Antibodies; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; Cell Surface Display Techniques; Promoter Regions, Genetic; Green Fluorescent Proteins
PubMed: 36729226
DOI: 10.1007/s00253-023-12395-6 -
Skin Research and Technology : Official... Jan 2023Acne is the eighth-most prevalent inflammatory skin disease with no optimal treatment. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is an effective treatment for severe acne.
BACKGROUND
Acne is the eighth-most prevalent inflammatory skin disease with no optimal treatment. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is an effective treatment for severe acne.
AIMS
The effect of PDT on the composition and diversity of skin microflora in severe acne patients was studied.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
A total of 18 patients with severe acne and 8 healthy individuals were selected for this study. Patients were treated with 5-aminolevulinic acid-mediated PDT once a week three times in total; the skin microbiome was measured by 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequencing before and after treatment (1 week after each PDT).
RESULTS
The microflora composition was different between healthy controls and patients, and between patients before and after treatment. Alpha diversity indices were lower in patients than those in control. There were 15 bacterial genera with high relative abundance that had noticeable changes during treatment. At the genus level,particularly Cutibacterium acnes (C. acnes formerly Propionibacterium acnes), there was no statistically significant difference among different group. The abundances of Staphylococcus epidermidis and Staphylococcus aureus were low.
DISCUSSION
The microbial composition is different between severe acne patients acne patients and healthy individuals. The therapeutic efficacy of severe acne treated with PDT is associated with the composition and diversity of skin microbiota.
CONCLUSION
The skin microbial composition changes after PDT treatment. PDT is an effective method for the treatment of severe acne.
Topics: Humans; Acne Vulgaris; Skin; Aminolevulinic Acid; Microbiota; Propionibacterium acnes; Photochemotherapy
PubMed: 36704881
DOI: 10.1111/srt.13269 -
Bioresources and Bioprocessing Jan 2023In the twenty-first century, water contamination with pharmaceutical residues is becoming a global phenomenon and a threat. Antibiotic residues and antibiotic resistance...
Adsorptive removal of levofloxacin and antibiotic resistance genes from hospital wastewater by nano-zero-valent iron and nano-copper using kinetic studies and response surface methodology.
In the twenty-first century, water contamination with pharmaceutical residues is becoming a global phenomenon and a threat. Antibiotic residues and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) are recognized as new emerging water pollutants because they can negatively affect aquatic ecosystems and human health, thereby posing a complex environmental problem. These nano-adsorbents of the next generation can remove these pollutants at low concentrations. This study focuses on the chemical synthesis of copper oxide nanoparticles (CuONPs) and nano-zero-valent iron (nZVI) used as nano-adsorbents for levofloxacin removal from water samples and antibiotic-resistant genes. The CuONPs and nZVI are initially characterized by transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and X-ray diffraction. The levofloxacin adsorption isotherm on the CuONPS and nZVI shows the best fit with the Langmuir isotherm model, exhibiting correlation coefficients (R) of 0.993 and 0.999, respectively. The adsorption activities of CuONPS and nZVI were fitted to a pseudo-second-order kinetic model with correlation coefficients (R) of 0.983 and 0.994, respectively. The maximum levofloxacin removal capacity was observed at (89%), (84%), (89%), (88%) and (71.6) at pH 7 and adsorbent dose(0.06 mg/L), initial LEV concentration (1 mg/L), temperature 25 °C, and contact time 120 min for CuONPs. Removal efficiency was (91%), (90.6%), (91%), (89%), and (80%), at pH 7, adsorbent dose(0.06), initial LEV concentration (1 mg/L), temperature 35 °C, and contact time 120 min. The levofloxacin adsorption is an exothermic process for nZVI and CuONPs, according to thermodynamic analysis. A thermodynamic analysis indicated that each adsorption process is spontaneous. Several genera, including clinically pathogenic bacteria (e.g., Acinetobacter_baumannii, Helicobacter_pylori, Escherichia_coli, Pseudomonas_aeruginosa, Clostridium_beijerinckii, Escherichia/Shigella_coli, Helicobacter_cetorum, Lactobacillus_gasseri, Bacillus_cereus, Deinococcus_radiodurans, Rhodobacter_sphaeroides, Propionibacterium_acnes, and Bacteroides_vulgatus) were relatively abundant in hospital wastewater. Furthermore, 37 antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) were quantified in hospital wastewater. The results demonstrated that 95.01% of nZVI and 91.4% of CuONPs are effective adsorbents for removing antibiotic-resistant bacteria from hospital effluent. The synthesized nZVI and CuONPs have excellent reusability and can be considered cost effective and eco-friendly adsorbents.
PubMed: 38647790
DOI: 10.1186/s40643-022-00616-1 -
The Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine Dec 2022Antimicrobial resistance is an increasing public health problem worldwide. The interest of a focus on antimicrobial resistance in acne lies on the facts that acne... (Review)
Review
Antimicrobial resistance is an increasing public health problem worldwide. The interest of a focus on antimicrobial resistance in acne lies on the facts that acne vulgaris (acne) is the most common skin disease worldwide, that the bacterium (, formerly ) plays a key role in the pathogenesis of acne, while at the same time being part of the skin flora, and that antibiotics are commonly recommended for acne treatment. The overuse of topical and/or systemic antibiotics, the long treatment courses used for acne, and the availability of over-the-counter antibiotic preparations, have led to the worldwide emergence of resistant strains in acne patients. In this review, we discuss the epidemiological trends of antimicrobial resistance in acne, the need to avoid the perturbation of the skin microbiome caused by anti-acne antibiotics, and the clinical practice considerations related to the emergence of resistant strains in acne patients. In light of the increasing risk of antimicrobial resistance, raising concerns over the misuse of antibiotics, prescribing patterns can be a critical target for antibiotic stewardship efforts. Also, the selection of non-antibiotic therapies for acne, whenever possible, may offer significant advantages.
Topics: Humans; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Drug Resistance, Bacterial; Acne Vulgaris; Skin; Propionibacterium acnes
PubMed: 36568833
DOI: No ID Found -
Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) Dec 2022This study aimed to construct a pH-responsive nanocrystalline hydrogel drug delivery system for topical delivery of insoluble drugs based on the self-assembly behavior...
Development of a Self-Assembled Hydrogels Based on Carboxymethyl Chitosan and Oxidized Hyaluronic Acid Containing Tanshinone Extract Nanocrystals for Enhanced Dissolution and Acne Treatment.
This study aimed to construct a pH-responsive nanocrystalline hydrogel drug delivery system for topical delivery of insoluble drugs based on the self-assembly behavior of carboxymethyl chitosan (CMC) and oxidized hyaluronic acid (OHA). The tanshinone nanocrystal (TNCs) extract was prepared by dielectric milling method, the type and ratio of stabilizer of the drug were investigated to optimize the prescription, and the effector surface method was used to optimize the preparation process. OHA was prepared by the sodium periodate oxidation method, and the concentration of CMC and OHA was optimized using gel formation time as an indicator. OHA was dissolved in TNCs and self-assembled with CMC solution to form tanshinone extract nanocrystal hydrogels (CMC-OHA/TNCs), of which the physicochemical properties and in vitro antibacterial activity were evaluated. Results showed that the optimized prescription and process could produce tanshinone extract nanocrystals with a particle size of (223.67 ± 4.03) nm and a polydispersity index (PDI) of 0.2173 ± 0.0008. According to SEM and XRD results, TNCs were completely wrapped in the hydrogel as nanoparticles, and the crystallinity of TNCs was reduced and the diffraction peaks in CMC-OHA/TNCs almost disappeared. In vitro, transdermal test results showed that CMC-OHA/TNCs could release the drug continuously at the acne lesions. The cell-counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay confirmed that the CMC-OHA/TNCs had no obvious cytotoxicity. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of CMC-OHA/TNCs against and were significantly lower and the diameter of the inhibition circle was obviously higher than that of TNCs and tanshinone extract crude suspension. This study demonstrated that CMC-OHA/TNCs was a promising delivery system for topical delivery of insoluble drugs, which could improve the solubility of tanshinone extract and enhance its in vitro bacterial inhibitory activity.
PubMed: 36558985
DOI: 10.3390/ph15121534 -
Life (Basel, Switzerland) Dec 2022The nasal septal abscess (NSA) is a rare but potentially fatal disease causing intracranial infection. Treatments for NSA include antibiotics, surgical incision and...
The nasal septal abscess (NSA) is a rare but potentially fatal disease causing intracranial infection. Treatments for NSA include antibiotics, surgical incision and drainage. Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a risk factor for NSA. Therefore, we assessed the pathogenic bacterial composition of NSA in diabetic patients. We analyzed the Chang Gung Memorial Hospital database to collect 79 NSA patients who received surgical incisions and drainage from 2004 to 2015. We divided them into DM and non-DM groups for analysis. We integrated the bacteria cultured from each patient, listed the top three with the highest frequency and divided the bacterial species into facultative anaerobes or aerobes and anaerobes. The microbiological cultures revealed mono-microbial infection in most of the cases. The top three facultative anaerobes or aerobes with the highest frequency of NSA-DM were (37.5%), methicillin-sensitive (MSSA; 25%) and methicillin-resistant (MRSA; 12.5%). The top three for NSA-non-DMs were MSSA (24%), MRSA (20%) and (16%). The top three anaerobes causing NSA were (25%), species (12.5%) and (12.5%) in DM patients. The top three in non-DM patients were (25%), (16.7%) and (12.5%). When treating NSA in diabetic patients, clinicians should choose empirical antibiotics for and , and when treating patients with NSA-non-DM, MSSA and should be considered first.
PubMed: 36556459
DOI: 10.3390/life12122093 -
Journal of Microbiology and... Jan 2023Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) isolated from kimchi (a traditional Korean dish typically made of fermented cabbage) can provide various health benefits, including...
Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) isolated from kimchi (a traditional Korean dish typically made of fermented cabbage) can provide various health benefits, including anti-obesity, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, and antimicrobial effects. In this study, we examined the antimicrobial and immunomodulatory effects of WiKim0125 cultured in de Man, Rogosa, and Sharpe (MRS) medium containing vegetable waste. Live bacterial cells were eliminated via supernatant filtration or heat treatment. The cell-free supernatant (CFS) obtained from culture broth containing kimchi cabbage waste (KCW), cabbage waste (CW), or onion waste (OW) showed significantly higher antimicrobial activity against skin pathogens ( and ) and foodborne pathogens ( and ), with inhibition zones ranging between 4.4 and 8.5 mm, compared to that in conventional MRS medium (4.0-7.3 mm). In lipopolysaccharide-stimulated RAW264.7 cells, both supernatant and heat-inactivated WiKim0125 from culture media containing KCW and CW suppressed the production of inflammatory cytokines (72.8% and 49.6%, respectively) and nitric oxide (62.2% and 66.7%, respectively) without affecting cell viability. These results indicate that vegetable waste can potentially increase the antimicrobial and immunoregulatory potency of LAB while presenting a molecular basis for applying postbiotics to health products.
Topics: Humans; Vegetables; Lactobacillaceae; Lactobacillales; Anti-Infective Agents; Brassica; Fermented Foods
PubMed: 36517044
DOI: 10.4014/jmb.2210.10049 -
Clinical Case Reports Dec 2022Propionibacterium acnes is a typical component of the human body's flora and has been implicated as the causative infectious agent following a variety of operations,...
Propionibacterium acnes is a typical component of the human body's flora and has been implicated as the causative infectious agent following a variety of operations, including device installation. We present a case of a 21-year-old male patient with severe global acneiform eruption with a non-healing limb lesion near the orthopedic surgery incisions.
PubMed: 36514471
DOI: 10.1002/ccr3.6700