Disruption of biological membranes by hydrophobic molecules: a way to inhibit bacterial growth
With antibiotic resistance increasing in the global population every year, efforts to discover new strategies against microbial diseases are urgently needed. One of the new therapeutic targets is the bacterial cell membrane since, in the event of a drastic alteration, it can cause cell death. We pro...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-01-01
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Series: | Frontiers in Microbiology |
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Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2024.1478519/full |
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author | Alejandra Gabriela Valdez-Lara Ángela M. Jaramillo-Granada Daniel Ortega-Zambrano Eristeo García-Marquez Jorge Alberto García-Fajardo H. Mercado-Uribe J. C. Ruiz-Suárez |
author_facet | Alejandra Gabriela Valdez-Lara Ángela M. Jaramillo-Granada Daniel Ortega-Zambrano Eristeo García-Marquez Jorge Alberto García-Fajardo H. Mercado-Uribe J. C. Ruiz-Suárez |
author_sort | Alejandra Gabriela Valdez-Lara |
collection | DOAJ |
description | With antibiotic resistance increasing in the global population every year, efforts to discover new strategies against microbial diseases are urgently needed. One of the new therapeutic targets is the bacterial cell membrane since, in the event of a drastic alteration, it can cause cell death. We propose the utilization of hydrophobic molecules, namely, propofol (PFL) and cannabidiol (CBD), dissolved in nanodroplets of oil, to effectively strike the membrane of two well-known pathogens: Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. First, we carried out calorimetric measurements to evaluate the effects of these drugs on model membranes formed by lipids from these bacteria. We found that the drugs modify their transition temperature, enthalpy of cohesion, and cooperativity, which indicates a strong alteration of the membranes. Then, inhibition of colony-forming units is studied in incubation experiments. Finally, we demonstrate, using atomic force and fluorescence microscopy, that the drugs, especially propofol, produce a visible disruption in real bacterial membranes, explaining the observed inhibition. These findings may have useful implications in the global effort to discover new ways to effectively combat the growing threat of drug-resistant pathogens, especially in skin infections. |
format | Article |
id | doaj-art-1b78eb378d874757a511974cf7a6c8e3 |
institution | Kabale University |
issn | 1664-302X |
language | English |
publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
record_format | Article |
series | Frontiers in Microbiology |
spelling | doaj-art-1b78eb378d874757a511974cf7a6c8e32025-01-08T06:11:42ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Microbiology1664-302X2025-01-011510.3389/fmicb.2024.14785191478519Disruption of biological membranes by hydrophobic molecules: a way to inhibit bacterial growthAlejandra Gabriela Valdez-Lara0Ángela M. Jaramillo-Granada1Daniel Ortega-Zambrano2Eristeo García-Marquez3Jorge Alberto García-Fajardo4H. Mercado-Uribe5J. C. Ruiz-Suárez6Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional Unidad Monterrey, Apodaca, Nuevo León, MexicoCentro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional Unidad Monterrey, Apodaca, Nuevo León, MexicoCentro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional Unidad Monterrey, Apodaca, Nuevo León, MexicoCentro de Investigación y Asistencia en Tecnología y Diseño del Estado de Jalisco Subsede Noreste, Apodaca, Nuevo León, MexicoCentro de Investigación y Asistencia en Tecnología y Diseño del Estado de Jalisco Subsede Noreste, Apodaca, Nuevo León, MexicoCentro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional Unidad Monterrey, Apodaca, Nuevo León, MexicoCentro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional Unidad Monterrey, Apodaca, Nuevo León, MexicoWith antibiotic resistance increasing in the global population every year, efforts to discover new strategies against microbial diseases are urgently needed. One of the new therapeutic targets is the bacterial cell membrane since, in the event of a drastic alteration, it can cause cell death. We propose the utilization of hydrophobic molecules, namely, propofol (PFL) and cannabidiol (CBD), dissolved in nanodroplets of oil, to effectively strike the membrane of two well-known pathogens: Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. First, we carried out calorimetric measurements to evaluate the effects of these drugs on model membranes formed by lipids from these bacteria. We found that the drugs modify their transition temperature, enthalpy of cohesion, and cooperativity, which indicates a strong alteration of the membranes. Then, inhibition of colony-forming units is studied in incubation experiments. Finally, we demonstrate, using atomic force and fluorescence microscopy, that the drugs, especially propofol, produce a visible disruption in real bacterial membranes, explaining the observed inhibition. These findings may have useful implications in the global effort to discover new ways to effectively combat the growing threat of drug-resistant pathogens, especially in skin infections.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2024.1478519/fullE. coliS. aureusliposomespropofolCBD |
spellingShingle | Alejandra Gabriela Valdez-Lara Ángela M. Jaramillo-Granada Daniel Ortega-Zambrano Eristeo García-Marquez Jorge Alberto García-Fajardo H. Mercado-Uribe J. C. Ruiz-Suárez Disruption of biological membranes by hydrophobic molecules: a way to inhibit bacterial growth Frontiers in Microbiology E. coli S. aureus liposomes propofol CBD |
title | Disruption of biological membranes by hydrophobic molecules: a way to inhibit bacterial growth |
title_full | Disruption of biological membranes by hydrophobic molecules: a way to inhibit bacterial growth |
title_fullStr | Disruption of biological membranes by hydrophobic molecules: a way to inhibit bacterial growth |
title_full_unstemmed | Disruption of biological membranes by hydrophobic molecules: a way to inhibit bacterial growth |
title_short | Disruption of biological membranes by hydrophobic molecules: a way to inhibit bacterial growth |
title_sort | disruption of biological membranes by hydrophobic molecules a way to inhibit bacterial growth |
topic | E. coli S. aureus liposomes propofol CBD |
url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2024.1478519/full |
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