Abstract
Increasing cases of multidrug-resistant pathogens have evolved into a global health crisis. ESKAPE group of bacteria are associated with antibiotic resistance, and infections caused by these pathogens result in high mortality and morbidity. However, de novo synthesis of antibiotics is expensive and time-consuming since the development of a new drug has to go through several clinical trials. Repurposing of old drugs for the treatment of antimicrobial resistant pathogens has been explored as an alternative strategy in the field of antimicrobial drug discovery. Ten non-antimicrobial compounds were screened for antibacterial activity on two ESKAPE organisms, Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The drugs used in this study were amodiaquine an antimalarial drug, probenecid used to prevent gout, ibuprofen a painkiller, 2-amino-5-chlorobenzaxazole used as a tool for assessing hepatic cytochrome P450 activity in rodents, ellargic acid an antioxidant, quercetin an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory drug, N–N diacryloylpiperazine used to crosslink polyacrylamide gel in 2D-protein electrophoresis, epicatechin an antioxidant and antiviral drug, curcumin an anticancer drug, and quinine an antimalarial drug. Antibacterial susceptibility tests were carried out for the 10 compounds. Curcumin exhibited the most potent antimicrobial activity against both bacteria, with MICs of 50 μg/ml and 100 μg/ml for P. aeruginosa and S. aureus, respectively. Ellargic acid was found to have an MIC of 100 μg/ml against S. aureus. Curcumin caused protein and nucleic acid leakage from the bacterial cell membrane in both bacterial species. When curcumin was combined with ciprofloxacin, it was found to enhance the antibacterial effects of ciprofloxacin. The combination with ciprofloxacin reduced the MIC for ciprofloxacin from 0.5 μg/ml to 0.0625 μg/ml on P. aeruginosa and 0.25 μg/ml to 0.0625 μg/ml on S. aureus. The results obtained show that curcumin has antibacterial activity against S. aureus and P. aeruginosa and may enhance the antibacterial activity of ciprofloxacin.
Highlights
A group of six organisms has been labelled as ESKAPE pathogens
All chemicals used in the study were obtained from Sigma-Alrdich (Steinheit, Germany) including ten non-antimicrobial drugs, amodiaquine, quercetin, quinine, curcumin, ellargic acid, 2-amino-5chlorobenzaxazole, N–N diacrylolpiperazine, epicatechin, ibuprofen, and probenecid. e strains used were laboratory strains of P. aeruginosa (ATCC 27853) and S. aureus (ATCC 9144). e bacterial strains were obtained from the Department of Biological Science at the University of Botswana
Screening for Antibacterial Activities of Non-Antimicrobial Agents. e 10 non-antimicrobial drugs under the study were tested for antibacterial activities against P. aeruginosa and S. aureus, and the percentage cell viability of each drug is shown in Figures 1(a) and 1(b), respectively
Summary
A group of six organisms has been labelled as ESKAPE pathogens E bacteria are common causes of life-threatening nosocomial infections amongst critically ill and immunocompromised individuals and are characterised by potential resistance mechanisms [2]. E resistant forms of the ESKAPE bacteria are associated with poor clinical outcomes compared with their susceptible counterparts. Antimicrobial resistance has developed into a serious threat to the public health in every geographic region. Is calls for the urgent development and discovery of new drugs. This is quite a long and expensive process. E new drug has to undergo a number of clinical trials before it is released into the market. Drug repurposing is one strategy that warrants attention as a unique method for development of new antimicrobials This is quite a long and expensive process. e new drug has to undergo a number of clinical trials before it is released into the market.
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Published Version
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