The effect of Tyloxapol on the metabolome of Mycobacterium tuberculosis

The use of detergents when culturing Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis) are essential to prevent clumping. However, these detergents may influence research outcomes by impacting bacterial morphology and metabolism. This study aimed to assess the metabolome of a M. tuberculosis H37Rv strain cultured with Tyloxapol (H37Rv^Tyloxapol), compared to a control group of H37Rv strain cultured without detergent (H37Rv^Control) to evaluate Tyloxapol's suitability for metabolomic studies. Distinct metabolic alterations were observed in H37Rv^Tyloxapol compared to H37Rv^Control, primarily associated with fatty acid, sugar and pentose phosphate metabolic pathways. These changes are associated with the surface stress exerted by Tyloxapol on the bacteria, prompting an adaptation of M. tuberculosis metabolism to that usually observed in stress environments. Nevertheless, the effect of Tyloxapol is less pronounced than that of a previous investigation using Tween 80, indicating its potential as the more favourable choice for culturing M. tuberculosis for metabolomic analysis, with due consideration to dosage and result interpretation.