Antibacterial action of acriflavine hydrochloride for eradication of the gastric pathogen Helicobacter pylori

Abstract

Helicobacter pylori, a type 1 carcinogen accounts for numerous gastric cancer-related deaths worldwide. Repurposing existing drugs or developing new ones for a combinatorial approach against increasing anti-microbial resistance is the need of the hour. This study highlights the efficacy of acriflavine hydrochloride (ACF-HCl) in inhibiting the growth of H. pylori reference strain and antibiotic-resistant clinical isolates at low concentrations. ACF-HCl inhibits H. pylori growth at MIC value ten times less than in E. coli, another Gram-negative bacteria. Furthermore, ACF-HCl demonstrates synergistic effect with clarithromycin, a commonly used antibiotic against H. pylori. ACF-HCl treatment also eradicates H. pylori infection in the mice model efficiently. Our in vitro data indicate that bacterial membrane is the prime target. The novel action of ACF-HCl against antibiotic-resistant clinical isolates, synergistic effect with the conventional antibiotic clarithromycin and eradication of H. pylori from infected mice highlights the potential of ACF-HCl as a promising therapeutic agent against H. pylori by itself as well as for combinatorial therapy.

Acriflavine, an Acridine Derivative for Biomedical Application: Current State of the Art

“… 136 ACF·HCl binds to the proteins of the pathogen’s cell membrane and inhibits its growth. 137 This translates into sensational research results that suggest the complete elimination of H. pylori from the stomach tissues of ACF·HCl-treated mice in in vivo . A strong synergistic effect of ACF hydrochloride with clarithromycin on inhibiting the growth of these bacteria has also been demonstrated.…”

“…A strong synergistic effect of ACF hydrochloride with clarithromycin on inhibiting the growth of these bacteria has also been demonstrated. 137 …”

“…This pathogen increases the risk of stomach cancer and is resistant to most antibiotics used . ACF·HCl binds to the proteins of the pathogen’s cell membrane and inhibits its growth . This translates into sensational research results that suggest the complete elimination of H. pylori from the stomach tissues of ACF·HCl-treated mice in in vivo .…”

“…A strong synergistic effect of ACF hydrochloride with clarithromycin on inhibiting the growth of these bacteria has also been demonstrated. 137 Other studies describe the effectiveness of the ACF delivery system using the carrier poly(maleic anhydride-alt-acrylic acid) copolymer (MAAA). ACF was covalently bound to the carrier.…”

Polycaprolactone based pharmaceutical nanoemulsion loaded with acriflavine: optimization andin vivoburn wound healing activity

“…Acriflavine has many pharmacological properties, such as antibacterial, topical antiseptic, antiviral, and antifungal properties. It is also active against Escherichia coli (Hirota & Iijima, 1957 ; Das et al., 2017 ), drug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (Mitsuhashi et al., 1963 ), and Helicobacter pylori (Tehlan et al., 2020 ). It can be used for burn wound healing (Asuquo et al., 2009 ).…”