Hinokitiol potentiates antimicrobial activity of bismuth drugs: a combination therapy for overcoming antimicrobial resistance

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) poses a significant global health threat, rendering many infections untreatable. To combat AMR, repurposing approved drugs has emerged as a cost-effective strategy. Bismuth drugs, when combined with antibiotics, have been proven to be effective against Helicobacter pylori, including antibiotic-resistant strains. However, bismuth drugs alone exhibit limited antimicrobial activity against a narrow spectrum of pathogens. Therefore, a novel approach to enhance the efficacy and broaden the antimicrobial spectrum of bismuth drugs is highly desirable. Herein, we show that a naturally occurring monoterpenoid, hinokitiol, could potentiate the antimicrobial activity of bismuth drugs. We demonstrate a strong synergy between hinokitiol and colloidal bismuth subcitrate (CBS) against various Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial strains, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Moreover, the combination of hinokitiol and CBS exhibits anti-biofilm activity by preventing biofilm formation and eliminating S. aureus persister cells. Importantly, the combination therapy demonstrates promising antimicrobial efficacy in murine infection models including skin wound, gastrointestinal and blood infections. Mechanistic studies reveal that hinokitiol enhances bismuth ion (Bi(iii)) accumulation and reduces intracellular iron levels. By using thermal proteome profiling combined with dynamic quantitative proteomics analysis, we demonstrate that the bismuth-hinokitiol combination propagated the bismuth binding and interfered with ribosome synthesis, the glycolysis process, impaired bacterial cell wall synthesis and pathogenesis in MRSA. Our finding highlights the potential of combinatorial hinokitiol and bismuth drugs in the fight against AMR.