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Curcumin alleviates persistence of Acinetobacter baumannii against colistin

Amanjot Kaur1, Prince Sharma2, Neena Capalash3

  • 1Department of Biotechnology, Panjab University, Chandigarh, 160014, India.

Scientific Reports
|July 25, 2018
PubMed

Insights

The study found that combining curcumin and colistin effectively reduced persister cells in Acinetobacter baumannii infections. This combination enhances antibiotic lethality by increasing reactive oxygen species and inhibiting repair mechanisms.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Pharmacology
  • Molecular Biology

Background:

  • Persister cells are bacterial variants that survive antibiotic treatment, causing chronic infections.
  • Acinetobacter baumannii is a significant pathogen known for forming persister cells.
  • Understanding mechanisms to eradicate persister cells is crucial for treating persistent infections.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in persister cell formation.
  • To evaluate the anti-persister activity of curcumin and colistin, alone and in combination.
  • To elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying the observed effects.

Main Methods:

  • Assessing persister cell formation against rifampicin, amikacin, and colistin.
  • Measuring ROS levels in antibiotic-treated bacterial cells.
  • Investigating the effect of ROS quenchers and antioxidants on persister populations.
  • Analyzing the expression of bacterial repair genes.

Main Results:

  • Colistin treatment increased ROS levels, and quenching ROS enhanced persister formation.
  • Curcumin significantly decreased persister cells when combined with colistin.
  • The curcumin-colistin combination modulated gene expression, down-regulating repair genes.
  • Increased membrane permeability and inhibited efflux pumps contributed to enhanced colistin efficacy.

Conclusions:

  • The curcumin-colistin combination demonstrates significant anti-persister potential against Acinetobacter baumannii.
  • ROS generation and compromised repair mechanisms are key factors in the combination's efficacy.
  • This combination offers a promising strategy for controlling chronic A. baumannii infections.

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