A combination of ellagic acid and tetracycline inhibits biofilm formation and the associated virulence ofPropionibacterium acnes in vitroandin vivo

Abstract

Propionibacterium acnes is an opportunistic pathogen which has become notorious owing to its ability to form a recalcitrant biofilm and to develop drug resistance. The current study aimed to develop anti-biofilm treatments against clinical isolates of P. acnes under in vitro and in vivo conditions. A combination of ellagic acid and tetracycline (ETC; 250 μg ml(-1) + 0.312 μg ml(-1)) was determined to effectively inhibit biofilm formation by P. acnes (80-91%) without affecting its growth, therefore potentially limiting the possibility of the bacterium attaining resistance. In addition, ETC reduced the production of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) (20-26%), thereby making P. acnes more susceptible to the human immune system and antibiotics. The anti-biofilm potential of ETC was further substantiated under in vivo conditions using Caenorhabditis elegans. This study reports a novel anti-biofilm combination that could be developed as an ideal therapeutic agent with broad cosmeceutical and pharmaceutical applicability in the era of antibiotic resistance.

Exploring the Anti-Acne Potential of Impepho [Helichrysum odoratissimum (L.) Sweet] to Combat Cutibacterium acnes Virulence

“…The addition of sub-MIC concentrations of tetracycline does not inhibit the attachment of C. acnes cells as well as the HO-MeOH. Tetracycline tested at a sub-inhibitory concentration of 0.02-0.2 μg/ml was not able to inhibit biofilm formation after 72 h of treatment, suggesting that bacterial Combating Acne Using Helichrysum odoratissimum adhesion and maturation remains unaffected by this antibiotic (Sivasankar et al, 2016). Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacterial populations are known to cooperate, communicate, and grow symbiotically to form complex social communities in order to enhance invasion and persistence through a process known as quorum sensing.…”

Biofilm inhibitory efficiency of phytol in combination with cefotaxime against nosocomial pathogen Acinetobacter baumannii

“…The washed plates were allowed to air-dry. Biofilm-bound crystal violet was extracted with 1 ml of 20% (v/v) glacial acetic acid solution and quantified at OD 570 nm by a UV-visible spectrometer (Hitachi U-2800, Tokyo, Japan) (Sivasankar et al 2016).…”

Explication of the Potential of 2-Hydroxy-4-Methoxybenzaldehyde in Hampering Uropathogenic Proteus mirabilis Crystalline Biofilm and Virulence

“…The cell-free and cell-bound exopolysaccharides (EPSs) were extracted from HMB-treated and untreated P. mirabilis samples as described by Sivasankar et al (2016) with minor modifications. Briefly, P. mirabilis cells were grown at 37 • C for 24 h in LB media supplemented with and without HMB (MBIC).…”