Antimicrobial, Immunomodulatory and Anti-Inflammatory Potential of Liposomal Thymoquinone: Implications in the Treatment of Bacterial Pneumonia in Immunocompromised Mice
Khaled S. Allemailem,
Ahmad Almatroudi,
Faris Alrumaihi,
Aseel Aljaghwani,
Abdullah M. Alnuqaydan,
Habibullah Khalilullah,
Hina Younus,
Asmaa M. El-Kady,
Fahad M. Aldakheel,
Amjad Ali Khan,
Arif Khan,
Masood Alam Khan
Affiliations
Khaled S. Allemailem
Department of Medical Laboratories, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Qassim University, Buraydah 51452, Saudi Arabia
Ahmad Almatroudi
Department of Medical Laboratories, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Qassim University, Buraydah 51452, Saudi Arabia
Faris Alrumaihi
Department of Medical Laboratories, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Qassim University, Buraydah 51452, Saudi Arabia
Aseel Aljaghwani
Department of Medical Laboratories, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Qassim University, Buraydah 51452, Saudi Arabia
Abdullah M. Alnuqaydan
Department of Medical Biotechnology, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Qassim University, Buraydah 51452, Saudi Arabia
Habibullah Khalilullah
Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Pharmacognosy, Unaizah College of Pharmacy, Qassim University, Unaizah 51911, Saudi Arabia
Hina Younus
Interdisciplinary Biotechnology Unit, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh 202002, India
Asmaa M. El-Kady
Department of Medical Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, South Valley University, Qena 83523, Egypt
Fahad M. Aldakheel
Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh 11564, Saudi Arabia
Amjad Ali Khan
Department of Basic Health Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Qassim University, Buraydah 51452, Saudi Arabia
Arif Khan
Department of Basic Health Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Qassim University, Buraydah 51452, Saudi Arabia
Masood Alam Khan
Department of Basic Health Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Qassim University, Buraydah 51452, Saudi Arabia
Acinetobacter baumannii has recently been increasing as an aggressive pathogen in immunocompromised persons. In the present study, we determined the in vitro antibacterial and anti-biofilm activity of thymoquinone (TQ) against A. baumannii. A liposomal formulation of TQ (Lip-TQ) was prepared and its therapeutic potential was investigated in the treatment of A. baumannii infection in immunocompromised mice. Leukopenia was induced in mice by injecting cyclophosphamide (CYP) at a dose of 200 mg/kg and the leukopenic mice were infected with 1 × 106 CFUs of A. baumannii. The effectiveness of free TQ or Lip-TQ against A. baumannii infection was assessed by analyzing the survival rate and bacterial burden. Moreover, the efficacy of Lip-TQ was also studied by examining the systemic inflammatory markers and the histological changes in the lung tissues. The results showed that the mice in the group treated with Lip-TQ at a dose of 10 mg/kg exhibited a 60% survival rate on day 40 post-infection, whereas all the mice treated with free TQ at the same dose died within this duration. Likewise, the lowest bacterial burden was found in the lung tissue of mice treated with Lip-TQ (10 mg/kg). Besides, Lip-TQ treatment remarkably alleviated the infection-associated inflammation, oxidative stress, and histological changes in the lung tissues. Based on the findings of the present study, we recommend considering Lip-TQ as a valuable therapeutic formulation in the treatment of A. baumannii-associated pneumonia in immunocompromised subjects.
