Exploring diflunisal as a synergistic agent against Staphylococcus aureus biofilm formation

Staphylococcus aureus is a bacterial pathogen of considerable significance in public health, capable of inducing a diverse range of infectious diseases. One of the most notorious mechanisms used by S. aureus to survive and colonize the site of infection is its ability to form biofilms. Diflunisal, a...

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Main Authors: Maria Salazar, Siavash Shahbazi Nia, Nadezhda A. German, Babafela Awosile, Saheed Sabiu, Alexandra Calle
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2024-09-01
Series:Frontiers in Microbiology
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Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2024.1399996/full
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author Maria Salazar
Siavash Shahbazi Nia
Nadezhda A. German
Babafela Awosile
Saheed Sabiu
Alexandra Calle
author_facet Maria Salazar
Siavash Shahbazi Nia
Nadezhda A. German
Babafela Awosile
Saheed Sabiu
Alexandra Calle
author_sort Maria Salazar
collection DOAJ
description Staphylococcus aureus is a bacterial pathogen of considerable significance in public health, capable of inducing a diverse range of infectious diseases. One of the most notorious mechanisms used by S. aureus to survive and colonize the site of infection is its ability to form biofilms. Diflunisal, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), is a known inhibitor of the Agr system in S. aureus, which is key in regulating biofilm formation. This study evaluated the effect of broad-spectrum antibiotics in combination with diflunisal on S. aureus biofilm density. Eight antibiotics were tested independently at different concentrations and in combination with diflunisal to assess their effect on S. aureus biofilm formation. When using the antibiotics alone and with diflunisal, a significant control effect on biofilm formation was observed (p < 0.05), irrespective of diflunisal presence, but did not achieve a complete biofilm growth inhibition. Over time, diflunisal influenced biofilm formation; however, such an effect was correlated with antibiotic concentration and exposure time. With amikacin treatments, biofilm density increased with extended exposure time. In the case of imipenem, doripenem, levofloxacin, and ciprofloxacin, lower doses and absence of diflunisal showed higher control over biofilm growth with longer exposure. However, in all cases, diflunisal did not significantly affect the treatment effect on biofilm formation. In the absence of antibiotics, diflunisal significantly reduced biofilm formation by 53.12% (p < 0.05). This study suggests that diflunisal could be a potential treatment to control S. aureus biofilms, but it does not enhance biofilm inhibition when combined with antibiotics.
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spelling doaj-art-9c576c678d1642cabf35b5a54cd8d35a2025-08-20T01:54:42ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Microbiology1664-302X2024-09-011510.3389/fmicb.2024.13999961399996Exploring diflunisal as a synergistic agent against Staphylococcus aureus biofilm formationMaria Salazar0Siavash Shahbazi Nia1Nadezhda A. German2Babafela Awosile3Saheed Sabiu4Alexandra Calle5School of Veterinary Medicine, Texas Tech University, Amarillo, TX, United StatesSchool of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Amarillo, TX, United StatesSchool of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Amarillo, TX, United StatesSchool of Veterinary Medicine, Texas Tech University, Amarillo, TX, United StatesFaculty of Applied Sciences, Department of Biotechnology and Food Science, Durban University of Technology, Durban, South AfricaSchool of Veterinary Medicine, Texas Tech University, Amarillo, TX, United StatesStaphylococcus aureus is a bacterial pathogen of considerable significance in public health, capable of inducing a diverse range of infectious diseases. One of the most notorious mechanisms used by S. aureus to survive and colonize the site of infection is its ability to form biofilms. Diflunisal, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), is a known inhibitor of the Agr system in S. aureus, which is key in regulating biofilm formation. This study evaluated the effect of broad-spectrum antibiotics in combination with diflunisal on S. aureus biofilm density. Eight antibiotics were tested independently at different concentrations and in combination with diflunisal to assess their effect on S. aureus biofilm formation. When using the antibiotics alone and with diflunisal, a significant control effect on biofilm formation was observed (p < 0.05), irrespective of diflunisal presence, but did not achieve a complete biofilm growth inhibition. Over time, diflunisal influenced biofilm formation; however, such an effect was correlated with antibiotic concentration and exposure time. With amikacin treatments, biofilm density increased with extended exposure time. In the case of imipenem, doripenem, levofloxacin, and ciprofloxacin, lower doses and absence of diflunisal showed higher control over biofilm growth with longer exposure. However, in all cases, diflunisal did not significantly affect the treatment effect on biofilm formation. In the absence of antibiotics, diflunisal significantly reduced biofilm formation by 53.12% (p < 0.05). This study suggests that diflunisal could be a potential treatment to control S. aureus biofilms, but it does not enhance biofilm inhibition when combined with antibiotics.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2024.1399996/fullStaphylococcus aureusbiofilmsantibioticsNSAIDdiflunisal
spellingShingle Maria Salazar
Siavash Shahbazi Nia
Nadezhda A. German
Babafela Awosile
Saheed Sabiu
Alexandra Calle
Exploring diflunisal as a synergistic agent against Staphylococcus aureus biofilm formation
Frontiers in Microbiology
Staphylococcus aureus
biofilms
antibiotics
NSAID
diflunisal
title Exploring diflunisal as a synergistic agent against Staphylococcus aureus biofilm formation
title_full Exploring diflunisal as a synergistic agent against Staphylococcus aureus biofilm formation
title_fullStr Exploring diflunisal as a synergistic agent against Staphylococcus aureus biofilm formation
title_full_unstemmed Exploring diflunisal as a synergistic agent against Staphylococcus aureus biofilm formation
title_short Exploring diflunisal as a synergistic agent against Staphylococcus aureus biofilm formation
title_sort exploring diflunisal as a synergistic agent against staphylococcus aureus biofilm formation
topic Staphylococcus aureus
biofilms
antibiotics
NSAID
diflunisal
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2024.1399996/full
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