Exploring the Antibiotic Potential of a Serine Protease from <i>Solanum trilobatum</i> Against <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> Biofilms

Background: Multi-antibiotic resistance has become an alarming issue in treating bacterial infections in both community and medical environments. Globally, the scientific community has been exploring multi-antibiotic techniques to find new ways to address this challenge. To address this critical cha...

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Main Authors: Manohar Radhakrishnan, Kanal Elamparithi Balu, Lakshminarayanan Karthik, Raghavendra Sashi Krishna Nagampalli, Eswar Kumar Nadendla, Gunasekaran Krishnasamy
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-05-01
Series:Infectious Disease Reports
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2036-7449/17/3/50
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author Manohar Radhakrishnan
Kanal Elamparithi Balu
Lakshminarayanan Karthik
Raghavendra Sashi Krishna Nagampalli
Eswar Kumar Nadendla
Gunasekaran Krishnasamy
author_facet Manohar Radhakrishnan
Kanal Elamparithi Balu
Lakshminarayanan Karthik
Raghavendra Sashi Krishna Nagampalli
Eswar Kumar Nadendla
Gunasekaran Krishnasamy
author_sort Manohar Radhakrishnan
collection DOAJ
description Background: Multi-antibiotic resistance has become an alarming issue in treating bacterial infections in both community and medical environments. Globally, the scientific community has been exploring multi-antibiotic techniques to find new ways to address this challenge. To address this critical challenge and explore alternative antibiotic treatments, we investigated the potential of <i>Solanum trilobatum</i>, an edible and medicinally important herb plant in Ayurvedic medicine. Methods: Our research focused on a 60 kDa serine protease isolated and purified from the leaves of <i>S. trilobatum</i>, which showed evidence of possessing hydrolase activity. In this study, we examined the capability of the purified enzyme to eradicate preformed biofilms of <i>S. aureus</i> in combination with ampicillin. Additionally, we assessed the stability of the enzyme in the presence of metal ions and detergents. Results: Enzyme kinetics revealed a Vmax of 48.63 µM/min and a Km of 14.08 µM, indicating efficient enzymatic activity. Furthermore, the enzyme exhibited maximum activity at physiological pH, suggesting its potential effectiveness under physiological conditions. Conclusions: Our preliminary findings highlight the promising role of this enzyme as a potential agent to combat S. aureus biofilms, especially when used in conjunction with ampicillin, as an alternative antibiotic approach.
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spelling doaj-art-1817012ae02c448c897a71e500321f2a2025-08-20T03:27:15ZengMDPI AGInfectious Disease Reports2036-74492025-05-011735010.3390/idr17030050Exploring the Antibiotic Potential of a Serine Protease from <i>Solanum trilobatum</i> Against <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> BiofilmsManohar Radhakrishnan0Kanal Elamparithi Balu1Lakshminarayanan Karthik2Raghavendra Sashi Krishna Nagampalli3Eswar Kumar Nadendla4Gunasekaran Krishnasamy5Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USADepartment of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USAPrecision Therapeutics Laboratory, Quick IsCool, Aitele Research LLP, Bihar 843302, IndiaDepartment of Immunology, St Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN 38105, USADepartment of Immunology, St Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN 38105, USACAS in Crystallography and Biophysics, University of Madras, Chennai 600025, IndiaBackground: Multi-antibiotic resistance has become an alarming issue in treating bacterial infections in both community and medical environments. Globally, the scientific community has been exploring multi-antibiotic techniques to find new ways to address this challenge. To address this critical challenge and explore alternative antibiotic treatments, we investigated the potential of <i>Solanum trilobatum</i>, an edible and medicinally important herb plant in Ayurvedic medicine. Methods: Our research focused on a 60 kDa serine protease isolated and purified from the leaves of <i>S. trilobatum</i>, which showed evidence of possessing hydrolase activity. In this study, we examined the capability of the purified enzyme to eradicate preformed biofilms of <i>S. aureus</i> in combination with ampicillin. Additionally, we assessed the stability of the enzyme in the presence of metal ions and detergents. Results: Enzyme kinetics revealed a Vmax of 48.63 µM/min and a Km of 14.08 µM, indicating efficient enzymatic activity. Furthermore, the enzyme exhibited maximum activity at physiological pH, suggesting its potential effectiveness under physiological conditions. Conclusions: Our preliminary findings highlight the promising role of this enzyme as a potential agent to combat S. aureus biofilms, especially when used in conjunction with ampicillin, as an alternative antibiotic approach.https://www.mdpi.com/2036-7449/17/3/50<i>Staphylococcus aureus</i>biofilminfectious disease<i>Solanum trilobatum</i>serine protease
spellingShingle Manohar Radhakrishnan
Kanal Elamparithi Balu
Lakshminarayanan Karthik
Raghavendra Sashi Krishna Nagampalli
Eswar Kumar Nadendla
Gunasekaran Krishnasamy
Exploring the Antibiotic Potential of a Serine Protease from <i>Solanum trilobatum</i> Against <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> Biofilms
Infectious Disease Reports
<i>Staphylococcus aureus</i>
biofilm
infectious disease
<i>Solanum trilobatum</i>
serine protease
title Exploring the Antibiotic Potential of a Serine Protease from <i>Solanum trilobatum</i> Against <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> Biofilms
title_full Exploring the Antibiotic Potential of a Serine Protease from <i>Solanum trilobatum</i> Against <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> Biofilms
title_fullStr Exploring the Antibiotic Potential of a Serine Protease from <i>Solanum trilobatum</i> Against <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> Biofilms
title_full_unstemmed Exploring the Antibiotic Potential of a Serine Protease from <i>Solanum trilobatum</i> Against <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> Biofilms
title_short Exploring the Antibiotic Potential of a Serine Protease from <i>Solanum trilobatum</i> Against <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> Biofilms
title_sort exploring the antibiotic potential of a serine protease from i solanum trilobatum i against i staphylococcus aureus i biofilms
topic <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i>
biofilm
infectious disease
<i>Solanum trilobatum</i>
serine protease
url https://www.mdpi.com/2036-7449/17/3/50
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