Preliminary in Vitro Studies on Corynebacterium urealyticum Pathogenetic Mechanisms, a Possible Candidate for Chronic Idiopathic Prostatitis?

Daria Nicolosi,Carlo Genovese,Giulio Petronio Petronio,Marco Alfio Cutuli,Laura Pietrangelo,Floriana D'Angeli,Sergio Davinelli,Roberto Di Marco

doi:10.3390/microorganisms8040463

Daria Nicolosi, Carlo Genovese + Show 6 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms8040463

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Journal: Microorganisms	Publication Date: Mar 25, 2020
Citations: 6	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: University of Catania, University of Molise

Abstract

Corynebacterium urealyticum is a well-known opportunistic uropathogen that can occur with cystitis, pyelonephritis, and urinary sepsis. Although a wide variety of coryneform bacteria have been found from the male genital tract of prostatitis patients, only one clinical case of prostatitis caused by C. urealyticum has been reported. The aim of this study was to evaluate the in vitro tropism of C. urealyticum towards LNCaP (lymph node carcinoma of the prostate) human cells line and the influence of acetohydroxamic acid as an irreversible urease inhibitor on different aspects of its pathogenicity by means of several in vitro tests, such as the determination and analysis of growth curves, MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) assay, the production of biofilms, and adhesion to LNCaP and HeLa cell lines. Results have brought new pieces of evidence on the in vitro tropism of C. urealyticum for the human prostate cell line LNCaP and the therapeutic use of the irreversible urease inhibitors such as acetohydroxamic acid (AHA), not only as enzyme blockers to facilitate the removal of encrustations but also as modulators of some pathogenic mechanisms. These interesting preliminary data allow us to assert that there is a real possibility that C. urealyticum is a new candidate for chronic idiopathic prostatitis.

Highlights

Corynebacterium urealyticum (C. urealyticum), formerly known as coryneform CDC 79 group D2, belongs to the family Corynebacteriaceae and the genus Corynebacterium [1]
It can be isolated after 48 hours of incubation at 35–37 ◦C in 10% CO2 on blood agar plates, where it shows a precise morphology of the colonies [4]
By 3-[4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2, 5-diphenyl tetrasodium bromide (MTT) assay, we evaluated LNCaP cell viability, grown with or without different concentrations of acetohydroxamic acid (AHA) (0.25 and 0.50 mg/mL) and in presence or absence of three different C. urealyticum strains: C. urealyticum ATCC 43042, C. urealyticum ATCC 43043, and C. urealyticum ATCC 43044, for 24 hours, as reported by Motta et al (2015)

Summary

Introduction

Corynebacterium urealyticum (C. urealyticum), formerly known as coryneform CDC 79 group D2, belongs to the family Corynebacteriaceae and the genus Corynebacterium [1]. The first warning about these dangerous bacteria was made by Luis Cifuentes in 1947, but its identification and recognition at an international level are due to the subsequent efforts Dr F. C. urealyticum is a problematic identification bacterium, and is a slow-growing bacillus with diphtheroid morphology, Gram-positive, aerobic and facultative anaerobic, generally non-motile, not saccharolytic, and lipophilic with a strong urease activity [3]. The peculiar conditions required for the isolation and cultivation in vitro of C. urealyticum often make it undetectable to routinely urine cultures. It can be isolated after 48 hours of incubation at 35–37 ◦C in 10% CO2 on blood agar plates, where it shows a precise morphology of the colonies [4]

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