Cholecalciferol, Ergosterol, and Cholesterol Enhance the Antibiotic Activity of Drugs

Background: This is the first report demonstrating the antibiotic-modifying activity of cholecalciferol.

In this study, cholecalciferol was evaluated against multiresistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Escherichia coli.

The antibacterial and modulatory effects of cholecalciferol, ergosterol, and cholesterol (8-512 μg/mL) were evaluated by microdilution assay against multiresistant bacterial strains.

Cholecalciferol, when combined with aminoglycosides, was more effective against P. aeruginosa, reducing the concentration of amikacin and gentamicin necessary to inhibit bacterial growth from 156.25 to 39.06 μg/mL and from 39.06 to 9.76 μg/mL, respectively. It is possible that cholecalciferol, due to its lipid-soluble nature, had a lipophilic interaction with the cell membrane, enhancing antibiotic uptake. Cholesterol and ergosterol were used to see if the mechanism of action of cholecalciferol was similar to that of these lipid compounds. Ergosterol and cholesterol increased aminoglycoside activity, where the effect was greater with higher subinhibitory concentration of sterol.

There is no reported study on the use of cholesterol and ergosterol as modulators of antibiotics or any other drug, making this the first study in this area highlighting the interaction between cholesterol, ergosterol, and cholecalciferol with regard to modifying aminoglycoside activity.