Plasma-Activated Water Against Carbapenem-Resistant <i>Klebsiella pneumoniae</i> and Vancomycin-Resistant <i>Enterococcus faecalis</i>

The scope of the antibacterial effects of plasma-activated water (PAW) is not yet fully comprehended. We investigated the activity of PAW produced by the in-house 3-pin atmospheric pressure plasma jet against carbapenem-resistant <i>Klebsiella pneumoniae</i> and vancomycin-resistant <...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Dragana Vuković, Maja Miletić, Boško Toljić, Nikola Milojević, Olivera Jovanović, Jovana Kuzmanović Pfićer, Nikola Škoro, Nevena Puač
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-04-01
Series:Pathogens
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0817/14/5/410
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1850256464362340352
author Dragana Vuković
Maja Miletić
Boško Toljić
Nikola Milojević
Olivera Jovanović
Jovana Kuzmanović Pfićer
Nikola Škoro
Nevena Puač
author_facet Dragana Vuković
Maja Miletić
Boško Toljić
Nikola Milojević
Olivera Jovanović
Jovana Kuzmanović Pfićer
Nikola Škoro
Nevena Puač
author_sort Dragana Vuković
collection DOAJ
description The scope of the antibacterial effects of plasma-activated water (PAW) is not yet fully comprehended. We investigated the activity of PAW produced by the in-house 3-pin atmospheric pressure plasma jet against carbapenem-resistant <i>Klebsiella pneumoniae</i> and vancomycin-resistant <i>Enterococcus faecalis</i>, with a focus on PAW’s potential to promote susceptibility to conventional antibiotics in these bacteria. Bacterial inactivation was determined by the colony count after 15 and 60 min PAW treatments. Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) measured following repeated exposures to PAW across multiple generations of bacteria enabled the assessment of changes in susceptibility to antibiotics. The PAW’s efficacy was also analyzed through the detection of intracellular reactive oxygen and nitrogen species in treated bacteria. Time-dependent significant inactivation efficiency against <i>K. pneumoniae</i> was observed (log reduction 6.92 ± 0.24 after 60 min exposure), while effects on <i>E. faecalis</i> were limited. PAW demonstrated potential to decrease the MICs of crucial antibiotics. Namely, a 50 to 62.5% decrease in the MICs of colistin against <i>K. pneumoniae</i> and a 25% reduction in the MICs of vancomycin against enterococci were recorded. We found a significant increase in the superoxide anion concentration in <i>K. pneumoniae</i> and <i>E. faecalis</i> cells after PAW treatments. This study indicates that PAW’s inactivating efficacy coupled with the capacity for the potentiation of antibiotic effects is a promising combination against multidrug-resistant bacteria.
format Article
id doaj-art-bef679ea8a854790a5cd3cef0a8844d9
institution OA Journals
issn 2076-0817
language English
publishDate 2025-04-01
publisher MDPI AG
record_format Article
series Pathogens
spelling doaj-art-bef679ea8a854790a5cd3cef0a8844d92025-08-20T01:56:38ZengMDPI AGPathogens2076-08172025-04-0114541010.3390/pathogens14050410Plasma-Activated Water Against Carbapenem-Resistant <i>Klebsiella pneumoniae</i> and Vancomycin-Resistant <i>Enterococcus faecalis</i>Dragana Vuković0Maja Miletić1Boško Toljić2Nikola Milojević3Olivera Jovanović4Jovana Kuzmanović Pfićer5Nikola Škoro6Nevena Puač7Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, Dr Subotića starijeg 8, 11000 Belgrade, SerbiaSchool of Dental Medicine, University of Belgrade, Dr Subotića starijeg 8, 11000 Belgrade, SerbiaSchool of Dental Medicine, University of Belgrade, Dr Subotića starijeg 8, 11000 Belgrade, SerbiaSchool of Dental Medicine, University of Belgrade, Dr Subotića starijeg 8, 11000 Belgrade, SerbiaInstitute of Physics, University of Belgrade, Pregrevica 118, 11000 Belgrade, SerbiaSchool of Dental Medicine, University of Belgrade, Dr Subotića starijeg 8, 11000 Belgrade, SerbiaInstitute of Physics, University of Belgrade, Pregrevica 118, 11000 Belgrade, SerbiaInstitute of Physics, University of Belgrade, Pregrevica 118, 11000 Belgrade, SerbiaThe scope of the antibacterial effects of plasma-activated water (PAW) is not yet fully comprehended. We investigated the activity of PAW produced by the in-house 3-pin atmospheric pressure plasma jet against carbapenem-resistant <i>Klebsiella pneumoniae</i> and vancomycin-resistant <i>Enterococcus faecalis</i>, with a focus on PAW’s potential to promote susceptibility to conventional antibiotics in these bacteria. Bacterial inactivation was determined by the colony count after 15 and 60 min PAW treatments. Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) measured following repeated exposures to PAW across multiple generations of bacteria enabled the assessment of changes in susceptibility to antibiotics. The PAW’s efficacy was also analyzed through the detection of intracellular reactive oxygen and nitrogen species in treated bacteria. Time-dependent significant inactivation efficiency against <i>K. pneumoniae</i> was observed (log reduction 6.92 ± 0.24 after 60 min exposure), while effects on <i>E. faecalis</i> were limited. PAW demonstrated potential to decrease the MICs of crucial antibiotics. Namely, a 50 to 62.5% decrease in the MICs of colistin against <i>K. pneumoniae</i> and a 25% reduction in the MICs of vancomycin against enterococci were recorded. We found a significant increase in the superoxide anion concentration in <i>K. pneumoniae</i> and <i>E. faecalis</i> cells after PAW treatments. This study indicates that PAW’s inactivating efficacy coupled with the capacity for the potentiation of antibiotic effects is a promising combination against multidrug-resistant bacteria.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0817/14/5/410plasma-activated waterantibacterial efficacymultidrug resistance<i>Klebsiella pneumoniae</i>Enterococcus faecalis
spellingShingle Dragana Vuković
Maja Miletić
Boško Toljić
Nikola Milojević
Olivera Jovanović
Jovana Kuzmanović Pfićer
Nikola Škoro
Nevena Puač
Plasma-Activated Water Against Carbapenem-Resistant <i>Klebsiella pneumoniae</i> and Vancomycin-Resistant <i>Enterococcus faecalis</i>
Pathogens
plasma-activated water
antibacterial efficacy
multidrug resistance
<i>Klebsiella pneumoniae</i>
Enterococcus faecalis
title Plasma-Activated Water Against Carbapenem-Resistant <i>Klebsiella pneumoniae</i> and Vancomycin-Resistant <i>Enterococcus faecalis</i>
title_full Plasma-Activated Water Against Carbapenem-Resistant <i>Klebsiella pneumoniae</i> and Vancomycin-Resistant <i>Enterococcus faecalis</i>
title_fullStr Plasma-Activated Water Against Carbapenem-Resistant <i>Klebsiella pneumoniae</i> and Vancomycin-Resistant <i>Enterococcus faecalis</i>
title_full_unstemmed Plasma-Activated Water Against Carbapenem-Resistant <i>Klebsiella pneumoniae</i> and Vancomycin-Resistant <i>Enterococcus faecalis</i>
title_short Plasma-Activated Water Against Carbapenem-Resistant <i>Klebsiella pneumoniae</i> and Vancomycin-Resistant <i>Enterococcus faecalis</i>
title_sort plasma activated water against carbapenem resistant i klebsiella pneumoniae i and vancomycin resistant i enterococcus faecalis i
topic plasma-activated water
antibacterial efficacy
multidrug resistance
<i>Klebsiella pneumoniae</i>
Enterococcus faecalis
url https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0817/14/5/410
work_keys_str_mv AT draganavukovic plasmaactivatedwateragainstcarbapenemresistantiklebsiellapneumoniaeiandvancomycinresistantienterococcusfaecalisi
AT majamiletic plasmaactivatedwateragainstcarbapenemresistantiklebsiellapneumoniaeiandvancomycinresistantienterococcusfaecalisi
AT boskotoljic plasmaactivatedwateragainstcarbapenemresistantiklebsiellapneumoniaeiandvancomycinresistantienterococcusfaecalisi
AT nikolamilojevic plasmaactivatedwateragainstcarbapenemresistantiklebsiellapneumoniaeiandvancomycinresistantienterococcusfaecalisi
AT oliverajovanovic plasmaactivatedwateragainstcarbapenemresistantiklebsiellapneumoniaeiandvancomycinresistantienterococcusfaecalisi
AT jovanakuzmanovicpficer plasmaactivatedwateragainstcarbapenemresistantiklebsiellapneumoniaeiandvancomycinresistantienterococcusfaecalisi
AT nikolaskoro plasmaactivatedwateragainstcarbapenemresistantiklebsiellapneumoniaeiandvancomycinresistantienterococcusfaecalisi
AT nevenapuac plasmaactivatedwateragainstcarbapenemresistantiklebsiellapneumoniaeiandvancomycinresistantienterococcusfaecalisi