Frontiers in Microbiology (Dec 2022)

Hydrogen sulfide-sensitive Chitosan-SS-Levofloxacin micelles with a high drug content: Facile synthesis and targeted Salmonella infection therapy

  • Chunbo Lu,
  • Chunbo Lu,
  • Wenhui Lu,
  • Xiantao Qin,
  • Shuyi Liang,
  • Congmin Niu,
  • Jiayi Guo,
  • Yujie Xu

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2022.1088153
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 13

Abstract

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The delivery system of antibiotics plays an important role in increasing the drug efficacy and reducing the risks of off-target toxicities and antibiotic resistance. The pathophysiology of bacterial infections is similar to that of tumor tissues, but only a few delivery systems have been able to target and release antibiotics on demand. Herein, we designed and developed a robust Chitosan-SS-Levofloxacin (CS-SS-LF) micelles for targeted antibiotic delivery, in which disulfide bond can be reduced by hydrogen sulfide (H2S), a typical product of Salmonella, and subsequently released antibiotic to eradicate Salmonella infection. CS-SS-LF micelles showed uniform size and sharp response to H2S. Compared with levofloxacin alone, these micelles possessed a better capacity in disrupting Salmonella biofilms and reducing bacterial burden in organs. The H2S-sensitive CS-SS-LF micelles might enable a new way to address bacterial infections.

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