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Development and Assessment of Intracellular Infection Models for Staphylococcus aureus
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Development and Assessment of Intracellular Infection Models for Staphylococcus aureus

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Progesterone and Estradiol alter the growth, virulence and antibiotic susceptibilities of Staphylococcus aureus

Fatma Kalaycı-Yüksek1, Defne Gümüş1, Varol Güler2

  • 1Istanbul Yeni Yüzyıl University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Medical Microbiology.

The New Microbiologica
|February 28, 2023
PubMed

Insights

Progesterone and estradiol impact Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) behaviors, reducing growth, invasion, and biofilm formation. These hormones also alter antibiotic susceptibility in methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) and affect cancer cell viability.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology and Endocrinology
  • Host-pathogen interactions
  • Antimicrobial resistance

Background:

  • Hormonal influences on bacterial infections are increasingly recognized.
  • Staphylococcus aureus, including MRSA, poses significant public health challenges.
  • Understanding the interplay between hormones and bacterial virulence is crucial for developing novel therapeutic strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the effects of progesterone (PRO) and estradiol (EST) on the virulence factors of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and methicillin-susceptible S. aureus (MSSA).
  • To examine the impact of these hormones on bacterial growth, adhesion, invasion, biofilm formation, and antibiotic susceptibility.
  • To assess the influence of S. aureus infection, modulated by hormones, on human breast adenocarcinoma (MCF-7) cell viability.

Main Methods:

  • Bacterial growth assessed spectrophotometrically.
  • Adhesion and invasion quantified via colony counting.
  • Biofilm formation measured by microtiter plate assay.
  • Antibiotic susceptibility determined by microdilution method (MIC/MBC).
  • Cell viability evaluated using MTT assay.

Main Results:

  • Progesterone and estradiol significantly decreased S. aureus growth (p<0.0001).
  • Hormones reduced invasion (p≤0.0001) and biofilm formation (p<0.0001) in both MRSA and MSSA.
  • Progesterone increased and estradiol decreased ciprofloxacin MIC/MBC for MRSA, with no effect on MSSA.
  • Hormones, except high-level progesterone, decreased S. aureus-infected MCF-7 cell viability (p<0.05).

Conclusions:

  • Progesterone and estradiol differentially modulate S. aureus virulence, including growth, invasion, and biofilm.
  • Hormones impact antibiotic susceptibility of MRSA, suggesting potential for therapeutic modulation.
  • The interplay between these hormones and S. aureus infection affects cancer cell viability, highlighting complex host-pathogen dynamics.
Keywords:
MCF-7 cell cultureS. aureusadhesionantibiotic susceptibilitiesbiofilmestradiolgrowthinvasionprogesteroneviability

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