Enzymatic quorum quenching increases antibiotic susceptibility of multidrug resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa

There is increasing emergence of multidrug resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa (MDRPA) strains and drug resistance is positively-correlated with biofilm-forming ability. Since about 10% of P. aeruginosa genome is controlled by quorum sensing (QS), alteration in its antibiotic susceptibility by targeting QS was the focus of the present study.

One day biofilms of PAO1 and three urinary tract infection MDRPA isolates (PA2, PA8 and PA18) were formed in 96-well microtiter plate. Biofilms were exposed to concentration gradient of ciprofloxacin and gentamicin to obtain Minimum Biofilm Eradication Concentration (MBEC) by direct enumeration method. Susceptibility of 24 h biofilms was evaluated by treatment with ciprofloxacin and gentamicin per se and in combination with lactonase. The effect was also examined on 72 h biofilms by Scanning Electron Microscopy.

Lactonase treatment did not have any effect on growth of the selected strains but 73.42, 69.1, 77.34 and 72.5% reduction of biofilm was observed after lactonase (1 unit) treatment, respectively. Antibiotics in combination with lactonase (0.3 units) resulted in an increased susceptibility of the biofilm forms by>3.3, 4, 5 and 1.5 folds of MBEC, for ciprofloxacin and>6.67, 12.5, 6 and>2.5 folds, for gentamicin respectively, which could be due to the disruption of biofilm by lactonase treatment as shown by scanning electron microscopy. Also there was significant reduction (p<0.001) in virulence factor production by the strains.

Lactonase treatment increased antibiotic susceptibility of the biofilms of MDRPA isolates underscoring the potential of quorum quenching in antimicrobial therapeutics.